


Sometimes Things Happen

by eievuiisms



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-08 11:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14693727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eievuiisms/pseuds/eievuiisms
Summary: A fic for a Rob/Penny AU where Rob & Penny were a couple but the World forced them apart & made Penny & Gumball a couple instead. Eventually becomes Rob/Penny/Gumball.





	1. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob finally decides to ask Penny out after having a long time crush on her. The first date goes...well, wrong for reasons that include Rob not showing up.

The school bell rang loudly, and the school’s hallways quickly filled with students of varied sorts heading to their lockers and grabbing their things, ready to head home after a long Friday and anticipating the weekend. Among the group of students was Penny. The peanut had grabbed her bag just as everyone else had, though while everyone made their way to the bus or for the sidewalk, she lingered by the front doors, arms wrapped tightly around her book as she waited patiently.

“Later, Penny,” Gumball said cheerful as he passed by her, Darwin - who was close behind him - waving as well. She returned the goodbye, and continued to wait. People eventually stopped leaving the school, for there were no more students in the building.

Well, except for one - a blue cyclops who was, at the moment, practically scrambling out the door, catching Penny’s attention immediately. He was a little bit out of breath, but that didn’t stop him from flashing a smile towards her and say, “Hey.”

“Hi,” she replied, returning the smile and instinctively reaching out for his hand - just as she did at the end of every school day.

“Sorry I kept you waiting. I got caught up in something.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Rob,” she led him down the steps and towards the sidewalk, “It’s no trouble at all.”

 

For as long as Penny could remember, her and Rob had always had a bit of a thing. It wasn’t an unspoken thing - Gumball had made sure of that back in the first grade - but both had always been hesitant to yet give it a label. Some called it a mutual crush - most took to jokingly calling them an “unofficial couple.” And maybe, in a way, they were, though neither one gave any sign of thinking themselves that way before.

The two chatted as they headed towards her house just as they did every school day - talking about how their day went, exchanging stories and jokes; all that fun stuff. Eventually, they reached Penny’s home, which was usually the part where the two hugged, said goodbye, and she waited for the boy to turn the corner before heading inside. Rob, however, had decided to change the flow a little that day.

“Hey, uh, Penny?” the cyclops spoke up, stopping in his tracks, which in turn made her stop as well.

“Yeah?”

“I was - I was wondering, um-” his gaze flickered towards the ground for a split second, his hand placing itself on the back of his neck, “Would you wanna go out with me to the mall tomorrow?”

Penny’s smile faded, her mouth opening slightly as she blinked in surprise.

“U-Unless you’ve got other plans,” he quickly added, “I mean, if you do, that’s fine too-”

“-Oh, no! No, it’s - it’s not that, I just-” she paused a moment. “Are...are you asking me out on a date?”

“I...mmmight be?” he said uncertainly, though seemingly deciding and saying, “Yeah.”

Penny stood there for a moment, before a bright smile appeared on her features as she promptly moved forward and hugged him, giving a light squeeze.

Although momentarily surprised, the boy gave a laugh, wrapping his arms around her in return. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” Her response was muffled by her face being pressed into his shoulder, though she soon loosened her grip enough to lean back and look him in the eye. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”

“Oh - great!” Pause. “So...Joyful Burger at 12?”

“Sure! Sounds good.”

With that, they said their goodbyes, and Penny watched Rob walk down the sidewalk and eventually turn the corner, before turning to head into her own home and tell her parents the good news.

 

\--

 

_ Tap, tap, tap. _ The girl rapped on her best friend’s - well,  _ boyfriend _ now, she supposed - door, and lightly gripped her arm as she waited for it to be answered. The door was soon opened by not Rob but rather his mother.

“Hello, miss! Is Rob there?” the peanut asked, a polite smile on her face.

The woman seemed confused by the question, and looked behind her before looking back at Penny and shaking her head. “No, he isn’t. Why?”

“Oh, well - he said he wanted to go to the mall, so I thought he’d-” she paused. She thought he may have wanted to catch a bus there together or something, but shook her head slightly. “Never mind - maybe he’s already there. Thank you, miss.”

“You’re welcome,” Rob’s mother replied in a mutter, seeming a little uncertain - not that Penny had noticed.

 

She arrived at the mall and found herself sitting at a booth in Joyful Burger and waiting. After some time, she decided to send Rob a text letting him know she was there. Some time after that, and she had officially been waiting for fifty minutes. She lightly tapped her foot before deciding to get up, thinking that maybe Rob’s phone was off and he was just somewhere else in the restaurant and wondering where she was.

She wandered around for ten minutes, having checked over the place twice. No sign of him. She eventually decided to approach the counter where Larry was working the register and ask him if he’d seen Rob.

First response she got; “...Who?”

Penny hesitated, slightly taken aback by the question. It was well-known by everyone in town that Larry worked everywhere. Likewise, it was well-known that he knew everyone - if not,  _ nearly _ everyone - in Elmore. So she had assumed he’d know about Rob. However, she gave him the benefit of the doubt, and gave a short description of the cyclops.

“Sorry, can’t say I’ve seen anyone like that around,” he replied, giving a small frown.

Mildly perplexed but shrugging it off, she said it was alright before heading out of the restaurant and back into the open mall. She was almost certain Rob had said he wanted to meet up at Joyful Burger but decided to start looking at the other stores as well. Maybe he’d went in some other store for something and simply lost track of time...for a whole hour...yeah.

She must’ve easily spent another 45 minutes checking in various other stores before deciding to look at her phone. There was no reply to her previous text, but nonetheless, she typed and sent, “Where are you?” before continuing her search. Eventually, she begun asking around.

“Who?”

“Never heard of him.”

“Who’s Rob?”

These were all responses she was given several times - and as much as she’d liked to assume that maybe none of them knew Rob or even heard of him, given the uniqueness of the individuals in town, the amount of confused replies she was receiving was actually... _ alarming _ .

“I can’t find you where are you,” she sent yet another text, after a complete hour and a half of searching, now finding herself in front of the mall’s front doors. She waited a moment, before promptly deciding to turn on her phone again. There were a select few people who Rob considered close friends. Maybe they knew where he was.

“idek who that is”

“who???”

“oh yeah, rob. that one guy i should know of because……..?”

By this point, Penny was nearly panicking. She could understand Larry, and understand passerbys. She could not, for the life of her understand why his  _ friends _ \- who’d spoken to the cyclops nearly every day - wouldn’t know who that is.

“Rob, if this is a joke, it’s not funny.” Another text sent. By this time, it was 3pm and she was waiting at the bus stop, and she was attempting to calm herself down. Rob would never stand her up. He was easily nervous and a little on the shy side, yes, but never to the point where he’d cancel plans. And even if that were the case, he’d have told her. If he’d gone out before 12, he definitely would have told her. The girl found herself staring at her phone, and staring at the texts she’d left.

“Where on earth could you be…?” she murmured to herself.

 

\--

 

She found herself sitting on the curb where she’d been dropped off just a few minutes ago, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was shaking, and trying her best not to cry. She was going over the day she’d had, thinking over what might have gone on, what she could’ve gotten wrong, what could’ve held Rob up - but none of them made sense. None of them seemed anything like Rob. This was the kid who apologized for making her wait five minutes after school just yesterday - there was no reasonable explanation behind him not showing up and not telling her. Especially not after he’d finally asked her out after -

“Penny?”

She was startled, having not heard or notice anyone approaching her. She quickly looked up, and saw none other than Gumball standing there. “Oh,” she spoke quietly, “hey Gumball.”

“Hi. Um…” he paused for a moment, looking her over. “...Are you alright? You seem a little upset.”

She was immediately tempted to mention Rob’s name, but resisted. No one else had known who she was talking about, and at that moment, she wasn’t sure if she could handle hearing Gumball - the one who’d helped her and Rob get to where they were so long ago - unable to recognize him. So she simply took a breath in and said, “It’s a... _ friend _ of mine. I think - I think he might be missing.”

The cat sat down beside her on the curb, raising a brow. “Do I know this person?”

“Probably not,” she muttered, trying her best not to sound slightly bitter.

“...Well - what makes you think he’s missing?”

“He...he was supposed to meet me somewhere, and he didn’t show up, and he hasn’t been answering his phone and no one’s seen him and-” she cut herself off when her voice broke on the last word, bringing her hand to her mouth to stave off the sob that threatened to escape her. Gumball furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to speak, but Penny spoke up again. “I’m sorry, I’m just so worried about him. Wh-What if he’s in trouble? What if he’s in danger? What if-”

The boy placed a paw on her shuddering shoulder, making her stop herself once again. Gumball decided to take the silence as a chance to speak, and said, “Whoever it is, Penny...I hope they’re ok.”

She went silent for a moment, staring at him with those hollow eyes, then asked in a tiny voice, “...Gumball?”

“Yeah?”

“Can - can I have a hug?”

“...Yeah. Yeah, of course-”

Penny barely let him finish before wrapping her arms around him, her face buried in his shoulder and her form shaking as she finally broke and sobbed. The cat wrapped his own arms around her in return, that look of mixed confusion and concern never leaving his expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so im not usually too big on writing out fics for my au stuff, but!! i figured i'd give this a try. hopefully you like the first chapter & if you do, worry not, because there's still plenty to come


	2. A Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny has remembered a single name for a long time, but remembers very little about the person who it belonged to.

Penny entered her room, humming to herself as she tossed her school bag onto her bed. Another usual day at school - or, at least, an ideal one, given the typical shenanigans that happened on a near daily basis. The peanut opened up her window, allowing the spring air to come into her room, breathing it in and letting it out with a sigh.

She turned and went back to her book bag, digging out a text book from its contents. She walked over to her desk and placed it down, intent on grabbing some loose leaf and doing some homework. As she went to go look for paper, thought, she hesitated, hollow eyes drifting over to the small, cheap notebook she’d bought so long ago. She pulled her desk chair closer and sat down, picking it up and flicking through its pages until she found the page she’d left off on. She stared at it for a moment before grabbing the pencil that always laid on her desk, and wrote what she wrote every day.

“Rob,” and then the date.

She set the pencil down, a small frown appearing on her features as she turned it back to the first page. She’d been doing this every day for nearly a year, and she could not remember her reasoning as to why. She could remember the name, but not the face, or the personality, or...well,  _ anything _ other than. She couldn’t even remember how well she’d known the person, though she’d always assumed they’d at least been friends.

She stared at the page for a moment longer, then closed the notebook.

 

\--

The day Gumball had spoken the name she’d oddly remembered for so long was...interesting, to say the least.

“Oh whoa, Penny, are you ok?”

The fairy had been taking a sip of water from her glass and accidentally inhaled mid-sip and was currently having a coughing fit. Despite that though, she managed to say, “Yeah I’m - good, just - went down the wrong - way-”

The boy waited until she was able to take another sip to help fix the coughing before continuing. “So, like I was saying, Rob is-”

“-Your nemesis, you said.”

“Yeah! And he’s super cool. You know, this one time-”

Penny was unsure if it was possible to space out yet still listen all too intently at the same time, but boy was she doing just that.She was listening to every detail Gumball said about him but, at the same time, she couldn’t help but retreat into her own thoughts as well.

Rob was there. In Elmore. Her mystery person was physically around in Elmore after over a year of her writing his name down in some dollar-store notebook. And Gumball knew him. This all seemed nearly too good to be true, but here it was - happening.

The first few days of Gumball talking about Rob was insightful - but after a while...not so much.

Eventually, Penny would admit, the various stories about his apparent villainous deeds grew wearisome. She knew about things he had done, but it didn’t give her much to work off of in terms of what he was like outside of his act as Gumball’s nemesis. (And yes, she used  _ act _ . Because admittedly, there was a part of her that didn’t think he was genuinely a villain). She had been tempted to try and ask Gumball what he was actually like, but she quickly figured that perhaps she wouldn’t get an answer she wanted.

 

\--

 

When she actually got to see Rob for herself for the first time, it wasn’t quite what she was expecting.

When Gumball suddenly announced that he caught sight of him, Penny’s heart nearly leapt in her chest with a moments excitement. A part of her had always figured that if she saw him for herself, maybe she’d remember-

“Go on - look and tell me what he’s doing!” gumball cheerfully exclaimed as she was promptly shoved out into the open. She looked around for a moment, orange eyes squinting through a shop window.

“...Rob’s the one-eyed guy, right?”

“Yes! That’s him!”

Penny couldn’t help but frown as she watched the cyclops idly inspect some saw blade. She didn’t recognize him at all - which, given his rather unique appearance, seemed shocking. It almost made her wonder why she’d remembered his name this whole time if she couldn’t even recall what he’d looked like.

There was even an even smaller part of her that wondered if this was even the same Rob.

“Well? What’s he doing?” Gumball asked, still excited as ever.

The fairy sighed, and answered his inquiry.

 

\--

 

She entered her room, not so much annoyed than she was disappointed by the event of the day. She shut the door behind her and stood in front of it, eyes wandering to her desk and falling on that small, cheap notebook. She let out a small sigh through her nose and approached the desk, pulling out the chair and taking a seat.

“Rob,” she wrote, and then the date.


	3. An Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny tries to take an hour or two away from Gumball's ex-nemesis heartache but then proceeds to get dragged back into it by the wing - literally.

Penny walked along the sidewalk, grocery bags in hand and a neutral expression on her features. Her mom had asked her to go grab some things, and Penny had been silently glad to have the excuse to have an extra hour or two away from Gumball and his...ugh -  _ nemesis drama _ .

Don’t get her wrong - she was fully supportive of the situation. It was just draining to listen to her boyfriend go on about some nemesis of his and how he didn’t understand why he stopped hating him and la-de-dah, etcetera, etcetera. It certainly didn’t help that she was still uncertain on whether or not said nemesis was-

 

Penny’s foot tapped something. She had figured it was a stone until she felt something brush against one of her wings before abruptly being yanked up by it, a surprised yelp escaping her, as well as her bags from her grip. Panicked, she attempted to see what had snatched her, though she was unable to see much.

“-Oh my gosh, I am sorry, I am so sorry-” The fairy’s gaze quickly flickered towards the voice, and saw Gumball’s ex-nemesis -  _ Rob _ \- climbing down a tree across the street, unioculars left hung around his - neck? Sure - and quickly running across the road and towards her. He immediately reached up - presumably to help with Penny’s wing situation (at least, she hoped) - and said, “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t notice you walking up-”

“-What is this?” Penny asked, sounding slightly more curious than frightened and once again attempting to see what her wing was stuck in and failing.

“It’s - it’s meant for someone else-”

“-Let me guess; Banana Joe?” she asked flatly, recalling the conversation between him and Gumball the other day and raising a brow.

“...Yeah. Right.” He mumbled the words, seeming puzzled by hers. His brow was furrowed as he went quiet for a moment, hands still trying to get the girl unstuck, before seeming to clue in. “You’re one of...Gumball’s friends, aren’t you?”

“Girlfriend.”

“Right, right. I remember seeing you in the mall the other day.”

“Same with you.” After that, she felt whatever was latched to her wing lift away.

“There you go,” the cyclops mumbled, holding a rope in his hands. Penny once again raised a brow. “Look, I know it’s cliche, but it’s worked before.” Pause. “Sort of.”

“Well, glad I could be a test subject for you, Rob.” She leaned over to pick up her bags and recollect the few things that fell out.

“Oh, here, let me h-” he went to kneel down but paused, his one eye blinking. “...You know my name?”

Penny herself slowed a bit in her movements, but continued anyway. “Yeah, of course. Kinda hard not to when Gumball talks about you so much.”

“Oh,” Rob frowned slightly as he lifted up one of the bags and handed it to her. “He talks about me, huh?”

She nodded, and when his frown didn’t lighten, she jokingly added, “All bad, though.”

“Ha. Yeah, that’s - that’s good. I’m glad.” There was a small smile on his features, thought it faded. “...Guessing he kind of - _misses_ me?”  
“Oh, you have no idea.”

“But I’ve already explained-”

“-I heard. I know.” She hesitated a moment before letting out a sigh and saying, “Gumball’s more sensitive than he likes to admit, that’s all.”

“Right, right.” Pause, following by a slight brow raise. “Wait, this isn’t a set-up by him to try and convince me to go back to him, is it?”

“Nope.”

“...And you’re not about to try and convince me to go back to him yourself...are you?”

“Nope! That’s between you and him.”

 

The boy paused for a moment, then simply gave a slight but appreciative nod. Quiet hung in the air for a moment, before Penny broke it, making Rob straighten slightly.

“Well, good luck with the trap. Maybe you’ll actually catch your target in it next time.” She began to walk past him.

“Oh, uh - yeah, um. Thanks, Penny,” he replied, turning back to his handiwork.

The fairy paused in her step, blinking in surprise. After a moment, she let out a breath and continued walking.


	4. Looking Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob recalls the one, subtle warning he got of what was going to happen to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a much shorter chapter compared to the others & i apologize for that but i hope you enjoy anyways

Looking back, Rob had a slight warning of what was to come.

“Heeey...Rich?”

The cyclops’ smile dropped immediately. “...Did you just call me ‘Rich’ like it was a question?”

The cat had tried to correct his mistake, but ultimately proved that he had no idea what the other’s name was.

“Rob!” Rob finally snapped, “my name is Rob!”

He wasn’t going to lie - the whole situation, as irritating as it was, left him more hurt than angry. Him and Gumball had been mutual friends since first grade. They didn’t speak much one-on-one, but they both were Penny’s friends and would likely chat with each other if they happened to both be hanging out with her. Which happened a lot more often than one anticipated. So for Gumball to forget his name even after the amount of time they’d been around each other  _ did _ offend him. And to think he was trying to actually reach out to him and become  _ actual _ friends.

 

\--

 

“Is...something up with you and Gumball?” Penny asked, a somewhat worried look on her face.

Rob hesitated. “No,” he lied. “Why, why do you ask?”

“You mean other than the fact that you seem like you’re avoiding him…?”

“I’m not.”

“So you just happen to have somewhere else to be literally every time he shows up.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Rob.”

His gaze lifted to look at her and he was met with a rather unbelieving expression. He stayed quiet, then finally sighed. “Look, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“ _ Rob. _ ”

“I’m serious! It’s not.”

The peanut raised a brow.

“...Ok, fine - it’s a bit of a big deal to me. But overall, it’s nothing.”

“...If Gumball did something to offend you, I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I said it’s not big deal,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

Penny frowned somewhat, and gently took his other hand into her own as she always did. “If you don’t think you can get along with Gumball anymore-”

“-It’s not like that.” He wrapped both of his hands around hers. “I’ll get over it. I usually do.”

“...If you’re sure.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure.”


	5. Catch Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching up on what Rob's been up to between the events of 'First Date' & 'An Accident'.

Rob had felt that Penny says “yes” to him asking her out had been too good to be true. But he hadn’t expected that it’d warrant such a strange response from whatever forces ran the world. One moment, the cyclops had gone to bed happy - and the next, he was waking up in a house that wasn’t his, and looking out a window into a world that was completely foreign to him.

He was taken aback by the strange sight of various different... _ things _ . He couldn’t quite put a general word to them. But they were odd, and floated against the backdrop of never ending tv static.

The time he spent there was spent going through what he later thought of as none other than the stages of grief in a vicious, constant cycle. He tried several times to tell himself that it was a nightmare and that he needed to wake up, and tried calling out for someone to help him even more than that. He’d screamed in frustration at least a hundred times and found himself kicking and punching the walls of the house one at least three separate occasions. And to top it all off, he’d bursted into tears far too many times for him to count and probably cried more within that time than he had in his whole life.

After an immeasurable amount of time (there was no way to tell a day from an hour in that place. He’d attempted to judge it by his sleep schedule, but lost track when he found himself hardly sleeping at all), he was sitting on the bottom step of the front porch of the house he’d eventually grown familiar with. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his head hanging low. So there it was; the acceptance stage. The stage where he finally realized that no one was coming to save him and that he was fated to stay in that unnerving, unfeeling place and rot. Forgotten, alone, abandoned-

 

His head snapped up when he heard the faint sound of voices, his eye darting this way and that to find the source of them. He would’ve likely thought he went crazy if he didn’t hear them grow closer, given that he recognized them. He stood up from his spot, his gaze still looking around until a shadow overhead caught his attention. He glanced upwards, and immediately recognized the multi-coloured shirt to be Mr. Small’s. Relieved shock left him speechless momentarily as he watched him float on by overhead. He caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Gumball and Darwin coming his way. He snapped himself out of it, and promptly proceeded to wave his arms in an attempt to get their attention.

“Guys! Guys, over here!” he called out. The two didn’t even so much as flinch at his yelling, and continued to just pass by him overhead. “Guys, wait!” he called again, running to keep up with them. He was about to call out again when his foot nearly slipped, causing him to suddenly look down and realize he was at the edge of the platform. He looked back up and watched the other two continue on, with him completely unnoticed.

“Come back! Please-!” he yelled, desperate but to no avail. His chest thumped painfully as panic began to set in. They didn’t see him. They didn’t even hear him. After god knows how long of him being stuck in that place, there were finally people who could help him - and they didn’t even notice he was there. Forgotten, alone,  _ abandoned _ -

 

“No,” he whispered to himself. He wasn’t going out like this. He was  _ going _ to get out of there, one way or another. He momentarily searched for the nearest platform for him to use, and as soon as he found one, he took a leap.

 

\--

 

For the longest while after his escape, he hardly remembered much. He eventually remembered the time he spent in the Void thanks to Gumball and Darwin, but life before that was much more of a blur. As time went on, he could recall bits and pieces, but nothing big or revelation-inducing.

Or so was the case until he’d gotten that remote.

He could never quite explain what he’d felt upon holding that remote for the first time. It had been as if a large amount of knowledge had flown right into him - and with it, a significant memory about his old life.

 

_ “Are...Are you asking me out on a date?” _

_ “I...mmmight be? Yeah.” _

 

It was a shock to his system, and at first he was uncertain of how to process it. But once he’d registered of what significance the memory held, as well as the knowledge he’d suddenly become all too aware of (the world. It’s not real. An illusion. Entertainment for mindless drones-), a realization suddenly hit.

Gumball did this. He was the reason that Rob was in this position. He was the reason Rob had his life ripped from him. It was all because he was the  _ main character _ , right? Which meant he was supposed to have  _ everything _ , right? That’s why Rob had been wiped away - because he was about to have a life that  _ precious _ little Gumball couldn’t achieve.

_ Well _ , the cyclops thought,  _ that won’t matter when I’m through. Because when I’m done, he won’t have anything left. _ His gaze fell back onto the remote in his hand, and his grip tightened.  _ Then I can have anything  _ **_I_ ** _ want. _

With that, he’d decided to get his newest scheme set in motion.

 

\--

 

He failed. But not for the usual reason. Not because some trap didn’t work or because he got one suitcase confused for another. He failed because he  _ chose _ to fail.

He had been about to win. Just one button and it would’ve all been over. And, well, it  _ had _ been over after the press of a button, but not in the way he’d originally intended.

“I couldn’t do it,” he said in a sigh, then turned and looked at a shocked Gumball. “You went all that way to save me.” Pause. “...I was wrong about you. You’re pretty hard to hate.”

“You were wrong about a little more than that,” Gumball replied warily, getting up and brushing himself off. “You kind of went and destroyed everyone I love.”

“Hey. It takes a big man to admit he was wrong.”

“And it takes an even bigger man not to rub it in the first man’s face.” Pause. “I’m not that big a man,” the cat said, right before pointing and giving a loud, “Ha!”

Rob frowned, his expression instantly seeming less than impressed. “I take back what I said about you being hard to hate.”

“Sorry.” Gumball went quiet for a moment, his gaze looking around. “...How are we going to fix this mess?”

Rob ended up following his gaze, looking around at the plaza of frozen chaos - at the  _ damage _ he had done. He looked up at the fairy - crying and suspended mid-fall with shards of glass surrounding her - and he could feel a pang of guilt in his chest. His gaze lingered before it fell on Gumball, who was still looking at the mess.

...He was wrong. Gumball wasn’t at fault for Rob’s miserable state. He was as oblivious as anyone else about the truth about the World. Gumball, for all intents and purposes, was a victim just like Rob.

The cyclops eventually broke the silence with a sigh, making the other look back at him. “Not we. This is for me to fix.” The cat raised a confused brow. “I’m going to go back in time.”

 

\--

 

Rob had avoided Gumball for some time after that. He couldn’t bring himself to, he just - couldn’t. Not after what had happened. Not when Gumball didn’t even know what was said between them. And especially not when Gumball still viewed them as nemeses.

It was what had driven Rob to switch nemeses in the first place, actually. As he’d told Gumball before, he’d grown to care just a little too much for the boy, and, well, the thought of possibly hurting him even half as badly as last time was not a thought he’d wish to become a reality any time soon.

Unfortunately, Gumball had - in his good old Gumball fashion - made sure that the ‘not being nemeses’ thing was short-lived. Because of  _ course _ , the main boy himself wouldn’t want them to be anything but.

(...Though, Rob would be lying if he said he wanted it any other way.)


	6. Same Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny & Rob have another encounter - this time, on a bus.

So, Gumball had gotten back with his nemesis, and, while he was at it, apologized to Penny for focusing more on Rob than her. She forgave him, of course, for she knew she was never quite annoyed at _him_ so much as annoyed that the one person who shared the name of the person she remembered was _not_ someone she recognized. It almost seemed like a paradox - she was convinced that she’d remember someone who looked as odd as he did, but she was also convinced that it might not quite be a coincidence. Trying to think about it was giving her a headache.

 

Part of Gumball’s apology had included an offer to take her to the mall - “To make up for the last time that kinda got derailed,” he’d said. Of course she took him up on it, and yeah - it had certainly been a lot better this time. As they were leaving, he’d offered her a drive home, which she politely declined and stated she’d take the bus back. With a kiss on the cat’s cheek, she went on her way.

She soon found herself board a mostly empty bus, only to slow in her step as she caught sight of static and grey in the back.

...Of course _he_ was there. Why would he not be there the one time she decided to take a bus home instead of calling one of her parents to come and pick her up? That would just be silly.

She hesitated, wondering if she should take the seat across from him. A part of her wasn’t sure if it was an entirely good idea, but after a brief glance around at the other people there...She walked to the back, and took the seat across from him, not noticing the cyclops glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as she approached. She leaned her elbow against the window as the bus began to creep forward. After a few moments, she found her gaze wandering over in his direction. The boy was staring out the window. She moved her hands to her lap, lightly tapping a finger against her leg, quietly contemplating whether she should speak up or not. Although she was fairly sure him and the “Rob” she knew weren’t one and the same, he still seemed...nice. For a supposed villain, anyway. After another moment, she turned her head and opened her mouth to speak.

 

“Hey-”

“Hi-”

The fairy cut herself off, blinking a bit when the other had attempted to greet her as well. After the slight surprise, she gave a small laugh. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he returned, an awkward smile appearing on his expression. “I, uh...didn’t think you were a bus kind of person.”

“Not usually,” she admitted with a shrug. “My dad usually picks me up, but he’s working today, so.”

“Right. Gotcha.”

There was a short moment of silence. “... _Sooo_...is there something actually up with you and Gumball?” The boy raised a brow at her. “He told me you said you hated him again, so I figured I’d ask.”

“Oh.” Rob paused, seeming to think it over for a moment then shrugged. “I dunno. I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I mean, he’s - irritating? To me, anyway.”

“He does have that effect on people.”

“I mean - I had better reasons before, but I kinda...I dunno - _re-evaluated_ the whole thing during that weird break-up sort of thing, and I - I dunno. The reasons aren’t quite as relevant as before, I guess.”

“What were the reasons before?” Penny asked impulsively, earning a surprised look. She gave a sheepish expression and quickly added, “You don’t have to answer that. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he replied. “They’re, uh - they weren’t really that big of a deal.” Pause. “Well, they were a big deal to _me_ , but-”

“-Overall, not really?” The boy gave a nod, and she nodded as well. “I get that.”

 

Eventually, the bus stopped, and both teens ended up hopping off at the same stop, though Penny hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

“...When exactly _did_ you come to Elmore, Rob?” the fairy decided to inquire.

“Oh, uh...I can’t quite remember? But it was months ago for sure.”

“Huh! And here I only heard about you last month.”

“I’m a private person,” he admitted, “I mostly try to keep to myself.”

“Mhm. Not a bad trait to have in a town like this.”

The two had been walking through the neighbourhood while talking, and eventually, Penny stopped, the cyclops stopping a few steps after her, and glancing up at the house she stopped in front of. “This your place?” he asked.

“Yup!”

“Wow. Looks nice.”

She gave a hum before saying, “I’m guessing your place isn’t too far from here?”

“Oh-! Yeah, no, it’s, uh...it’s just around the corner…? Yeah.”

The girl raised a brow, somewhat unbelieving. “Really?”

“Well, it’s - at least in that general direction, yeah.”

Penny knew he wasn’t being entirely truthful - she could easily recall Gumball casually mentioning he’d originally met the guy after he was hiding out in his _basement_ \- but decided to drop it, figuring the boy was trying to avoid possible embarrassment. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” Pause. “...Will I see you later?”

He shrugged. “If we keep running into each other, I don’t see why not.”

“Alright. See you later, then,” she said, giving a smile and receiving one in return.

“Later, Penny.”

She turned to head into her own house but paused, finding herself turning her gaze and watching Rob walk down the sidewalk. She frowned a bit as he turned the corner, a sense of familiarity creeping upon her. “...Probably should ask him how he knows my name next time,” she murmured to herself before going inside.

 

She headed up to her room and glanced at the notebook on the desk. She contemplated writing down the usual thing for a moment. Instead, she picked it up, flipping through its pages for a second and closing it, one hand squeezing it closed while the other decided reached for the handle to her desk drawer and opened it. She then promptly dropped the notebook in and closed it.

She may not have recognized how he looked, but she sure had some form of deja vu on seeing him turn that one corner. And while it wasn’t much, it was enough to convince her that she didn’t need to write in that notebook for a little while.


	7. A Necklace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny finds something that releases a floodgate of memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hEY this chapter is like stupidly short but it's to make way for the next two chapters which are. extremely important so be prepared

“Come on,” Penny mumbled as she dug through one of her dresser drawers, “There’s gotta be something in here.”

“Sweetie, it’s just a casual work function. You really don’t have to do anything fancy,” her father said, standing just outside of her bedroom door and attempting to adjust his tie.

“Wearing a necklace isn’t being fancy, dad, it’s called looking nice.”

“You already look nice.”

Penny gave a light huff, but ended up smiling anyway. “Just give me three more minutes, ok?”

“Alright. Three more minutes, then come right downstairs.” Penny nodded, and with that her father disappeared from her doorway. She looked back at her drawer and continued to dig through it. She’d attempted to brush aside what simply looked like a black string, but it resisted.

“Oh, great,” she muttered to herself, figuring it likely got snagged on something in the drawer. Nonetheless, she found herself carefully running her fingers along it until she reached the part that was snagged on the corner of the drawer. She gave it a couple of light tugs and it came free. She then lifted the string out of the drawer and found that there was a small, green jewel at the end of it.

“Huh,” she said, “This is-”

 

_ “This is so pretty!” _

_ “You like it?” _

_ “I love it! Thank you, R-” _

 

“-Three minutes up, Penny, time to go!” The fairy was suddenly snapped out of it by her dad’s voice. She blinked, taking a moment to mentally catch up before replying.

“C-Coming, dad!” she called back. The girl eyed the necklace in her hand for another moment before promptly putting it on and heading off.

 

“Well, that’s awfully pretty,” her mom had commented in the car.

“Hm?” Penny said, having been distracted by her own thoughts.

“The necklace! It’s nice. When’d you get that?”

“Oh, um - I think it was a gift from someone. I don’t really remember who, though,” she lied.

“Well, it looks nice anyway.”

Penny flashed a small smile, before gently taking the jewel into her hand and looking at it, giving a small sigh through her nose.


	8. Eight Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see some events that have happened in the eight years Penny & Rob have been friends.

Rob and Penny had known each other since they were four. They’d met in pre-school and the very first interaction they’d had was Rob asking if he could play with the building blocks with Penny.

They were both shy and quiet kids, only ever speaking with each other with a twinge of nervousness and mostly just silently hanging around each other and enjoying one another’s company.

 

Things had changed a little bit in the first grade, though.

“Gumball, can I tell you a secret?” the peanut had asked him during reading time one day.

The cat’s eyes seemed to light up immediately. “What is it?”

“I, um,” she hesitated, before leaning and lowering her voice to a whisper. “I think I have a crush on Rob.”

“You do??” he asked in a hushed yet excited voice. The girl gave a nod with a small hum. “You should tell him!”

“No! He won’t be my friend if I tell him!”

“How do you know?”

“I just do!”

Gumball, being the ever so great friend he was, had proceeded to look at Rob’s table, stand on his chair and shout across the classroom, “ROB, PENNY’S GOT A CRUSH ON YOU!”

The next few minutes had gone poorly, with an upset and embarrassed Penny running out of the classroom, Gumball being put in the time-out corner for disrupting reading time and a very,  _ very _ confused Rob.

Penny had found herself sitting on the edge of the playground at recess, still sniffling and avoiding eye contact with her peers. She only looked up when she saw a pair of blue legs and saw Rob standing in front of her.

“Can I sit with you?” she hesitated, but nodded. The boy sat beside her, and the two simply sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.

“...I like you,” Rob eventually said.

The girl perked up, visibly surprised. “Like... _ like-like? _ ” The cyclops nodded, giving a small smile. Penny ended up giving a bright smile of her own, and a small squeal as she went and hugged him tightly.

 

\--

 

“Do you always have your hair in your face like this?” an eight-year-old Penny asked one day, where she’d invited the boy to her house for the umpteenth time in the last four years.

“It has a mind of its own,” Rob replied, giving a light huff that moved a few strands. “It’s hard to keep it to the side. Probably because I don’t have ears.”

The peanut gave a small giggle. “There’s such thing as hair clips, silly.”

“Not really much of a fan. They seem painful.”

“Well, I don’t have hair, so I can’t prove that wrong.” Now it was the cyclops’ turn to laugh. The girl proceeded to lift a hand and reach out, though she paused. “May I?”

Rob gave a light shrug. “Go ahead.” Penny proceeded to gently brush his hair aside, revealing that large, rose-coloured eye of his and giving a smile. “Better?” he asked.

“Much better.” Her hand settled on his cheek, the touch lingering for a moment before she quickly retracted her hand at the sound of her door opening.

Her mom popped her head into the room. “Dinner’s ready, you two.”

“Alright!” Penny replied. Her mother left the doorway, and the peanut promptly took the boy by the hand and led him out of the room.

 

\--

 

“So, are you and Rob an actual couple yet, or…?” Masami asked Penny while she was grabbing things from her locker.

“Don’t know what you mean,” the peanut replied flatly, despite knowing  _ exactly _ what she meant.

“Like - has he actually asked you out yet?”

“Nope.”

“...Have you asked  _ him _ out yet?”

“Nu-uh.” She shut her locker.

“Ugh! You two have been at this for, what, four years?”

“Five, as of today, actually.”

“Oh, that’s so much better,” the cloud replied sarcastically. “Seriously, you two should just get together and make it official.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you two are so sickeningly sweet, you give Alan and Carmen a run for their money.”

“ _ III’m _ not sure how true that statement is,” Penny replied hesitantly.

Masami opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. The peanut frowned in confusion until she was promptly met with arms wrapping around her from behind. She gave a small laugh as she glanced over her shoulder. “Hey Rob.”

“Hi Penny,” he replied cheerfully, “we walking together?”

“Of course!”

“Alright. See you outside!” With that, Rob went on his way. The girl then looked back at the cloud, who gave an unimpressed stare.

“And you two call yourselves ‘just friends,’” Masami said.

“We prefer not to rush things.”

“Oh, yeah. Nothing wrong with that if you’re a sloth.”

 

\--

 

“Hey, I got something for you,” the cyclops said at the cafeteria table before digging through his bag.

“Oh, you didn’t have t-” Penny was about to lightly protest, though soon found it being interrupted by Rob gently taking her hand and placing a green-jeweled necklace in the palm of her hand. The girl blinked, her mouth opening slightly in awe as she rubbed a thumb over the gem’s smooth surface. “...This is so pretty!”

“You like it?”

“I love it! Thank you, Rob!”

He gave a small hum. “Here - I’ll help you put it on.” The peanut nodded, and handed it over before turning her back to him. He promptly placed it on, tying a bow with the string. Penny held the gem in her hand for another moment before turning back around and giving a grateful hug. The boy wrapped his arms her in return, a warm smile on his features. “Happy birthday, Penny.”

 

\--

 

“Rob,” and then the date.

The peanut set the pencil down and closed the notebook with a frown. It had been a week since Rob had vanished - since everyone mysteriously forgot about him. She never did figure out what happened to him. And worse yet, she could tell that she was forgetting things about him herself. They were a minor things, but it was still enough to cause her alarm. She had at least promised herself that, no matter what, she’d remember his name. No matter how much she forgot about him - his eye, his voice, his smile - she would force herself to remember his name.

She got up from her desk chair and wandered across her bedroom before catching sight of her mirror. She gazed at her reflection, hollowed eyes eventually wandering to the necklace she’d worn ever since it was given to her. She wrapped a hand around the gem, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh, trying to fight off the heartache and the urge to cry. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and, hesitantly and with shaky hands, reached behind her neck and gently lifted the necklace off. She then walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, and placed it in with the various other pieces of jewellery she’d collected when she was younger.

“...Until we see each other again,” she murmured, and then closed the drawer.


	9. A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny decides to have a serious chat with Rob about their history.

“ _...Penny? Penny, are you still there? _ ”

“Hm?” she hummed tiredly, before cluing in. “Yeah, yeah I’m still here.” She rubbed her eye with the back of her hand, phone pressed to her ear.

“ _ You sound out of it. Are you ok? _ ” Gumball asked on the other side of the line.

“Yeah, fine. Just...tired.”

 

Truth was, Penny had an awful sleep last night. It had mostly been of tossing and turning and lying awake staring at the ceiling. All because of that stupid necklace she’d found. She didn’t understand how, but that necklace seemed to have made her recall some things. Not a large number of things, but what little she remembered seemed to hold a large amount of significance.

These... _ memories _ confused her to no end. Mostly because they’d seemed to contradict the memories she’d had prior to seeing that necklace. For as long as she could remember, she and Gumball had always had a mutual crush on each other, and had wanted to get together but never found a chance up until a certain point. Now she was recalling that she had a crush on...on...Rob-? Ugh. It was hard to think about. She couldn’t even begin to  _ comprehend _ it. She wanted to turn to someone and ask for help, but the only person who could do that was-

 

“ _ So, wanna, I dunno, hang out? _ ”

The fairy went quiet, a frown on her features as her eyes wandered over to the green-jeweled necklace that sat comfortably on her side-table. Every part of her was tempted to throw it back in the drawer or even throw it out, but she couldn’t will herself to actually do it. As confused and as frustrated as that necklace had made her, it may have just given her a chance to finally solve this puzzle that she’d had for over a year. All she had to do was talk to  _ one more _ person, and then she’d have the final piece.

“ _...Hello? _ ”

“Yeah, no, I, uh-” Penny ran a hand down her face, shaking her head slightly despite being on the phone, “I can’t today. I got something I need to do. Sorry.”

“ _ Oh - no, that’s ok! It’s all good _ .”

“Maybe - maybe tomorrow if we can, ok?”

“ _ Works for me. Talk to you later _ .”

“Later, Gumball,” she murmured before hanging up the phone. She set the phone down, then eyed the necklace once more. A sigh escaped her, then she promptly scooped up the necklace into her hand and headed off.

 

\--

 

“There you are!”

The cyclops gave a startled yelp, his pupil momentarily shrinking as he whirled around to face the owner of the voice. He relaxed, though, upon seeing Penny approaching him, one of her hands balled into a fist at her side and her expression seeming exhausted yet urgent. “Jeez,” he spoke up, “You startled m-”

“-I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said once she was standing in front of him.

“You...you have?” The girl nodded. “...What for?”

She sighed deeply, her tense shoulders easing up slightly. “I just - I need to talk to you.”

“O...kay. About what?”

With that, she lifted up her balled hand and opened it up, showing the necklace to him. Rob froze, blinking in surprise upon seeing it. “You recognize this?” she asked.

“...I mean, I don’t know if I’d say that, but it sure is pretty.”

“Yeah, it is. You gave it to me.”

“... _ III’m _ not sure if that’s true-”

“-Look, Rob, I’ve been having a pretty rough time the past 15 hours, so if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then just say so.”

“Ok. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re lying.”

“Wh- you  _ just _ told me to-”

“-I said if you  _ don’t _ know. But you tensed up when you saw this, so you must know something.”

He went quiet for a moment, before narrowing his eye. “Ok, fine. If I said, ‘yes, I do recognize it,’ then what?”

“Then I’d ask if you remember giving it to me.”

“And if I said ‘yes’ to that?”

“Then I’d ask if you remember  _ why _ you gave it to me.”

“And if I said ‘for your birthday?’”

“Then I’d ask you to quit acting like your answers are hypothetical,” she said, her tone seeming impatient, “And ask you how long you knew about me? About us?”

“I don’t think I should-”

“-Answer the darn question.  _ Please _ .”

The boy was silent, eye looking over her before promptly glancing off to the side. “A while.” Penny opened her mouth to speak, but he added, “Before you got stuck in my trap that one time.”

“... _ That _ long? You knew for  _ that _ long, and you didn’t tell me anything?”

“How could I?” His gaze snapped back up to her, and the fairy flinched at the sharpness of it. “I mean - what was I supposed to do? Just go up to you and tell you? You would’ve thought I was insane, or - or a weirdo or something!”

“And what if I hadn’t thought that?”

“Then what would it matter? You’re with Gumball! You’re  _ happy _ with him - I couldn’t just waltz back into your life and ruin that!”

Penny’s defensive expression softened, and she found her own gaze going to the ground, unable to look him in the eye as tense silence fell between them. “...I remembered you, you know.” No response, so she continued, “I remembered your name. This whole time. I never forgot it.”

“...I’m guessing that’s the real reason you knew it? When we talked to each other on the sidewalk?” his tone was a little flat.

She shook her head. “No. I mean - yeah. I mean - …” She paused, before taking a deep breath and looking back up at him again. “...No offense, but I don’t think I would’ve had any idea it was you if Gumball hadn’t seen you at the mall that one day. You don’t really...you know.”

“...Look the same. I know.” Pause. “...I’m not offended. I could say the exact same for you, too.”

“Ha, yeah, I, um...A lot has happened since we last saw each other, huh?”

“...Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” 

Another silence fell between them, uncertainty lingering in the air. Penny then hesitantly and warily reached her free hand out, but stopped herself. “...May I?” Rob didn’t say anything; he simply nodded. The girl then swallowed, and proceeded to gently take one of his hands into her own. “...I don’t remember much,” she admitted in a murmur, “But I remember this. And I remember us.”

“...That’s the important thing. Right?”

“Mm.”

Rob thought for a moment, then decided to slip his hand out of Penny’s. She was mildly alarmed by the action, and was about to open her mouth to possibly apologize for reasons she didn’t know, but then closed it once she saw the cyclops take the necklace from her hand. Understanding, she turned her back to him, and - just as he had so long ago - he put it on, tying the string into a bow. As soon as he finished, he was surprised by the fairy immediately turning and hugging him. His arms were raised, unsure if he should return the gesture, but soon felt Penny’s form shuddering, and heard a light sniff. With little hesitation, he then carefully wrapped her arms around her in return.

Finally, after over a year, the two had been properly reunited.


	10. A Confliction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny tries to deal with liking both Rob & Gumball. Gumball ends up having a small chat with Rob.

So...yesterday, she’d finally been reunited with Rob, memories and all. That was nice. And the fact that she remembered her feelings for him was nice as well, except for one, small problem.

She was still with Gumball, and still liked him and was now hanging out with him at his house and very,  _ very _ much conflicted on what to do. She didn’t want to hurt either party’s feelings just because she wanted to be with one or the other - because she honestly wanted to be with both of them. Despite the fact that she hadn’t seen Rob in over a year, and despite the fact that a lot of her memories of being with Gumball weren’t exactly  _ real _ , she still cared about them both. However, she was uncertain on how they’d feel about that.

 

“Ok, that’s it - what’s up?” the cat finally asked her.

“Wh- huh?”

“You’ve been acting out of it ever since yesterday, so what’s up? What happened?”

“Oh, uh-” she hesitated, not yet sure if she should say. “N-Nothing happened. I’m fine.”

“Penny,” Gumball took her hand into his, “You can tell me. I promise, if it’s a secret or something, these lips are sealed.” Pause. “...Well, ok, maybe I can’t promise that, but still - you can tell me!”

The fairy paused, her gaze staring at the boy for a few moments before giving a sigh. Well, she supposed that it was better to get any possible consequences out of the way rather than spending forever waiting to gather up the courage. “...You know your nemesis? Rob?”

“Yeah...what about him?”

“I, uh...I may have went out to speak with him yesterday.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, the thing is - we’ve kinda spoken to each other a few other times. Mostly just running into each other, but, you know-”

“-Wait, really?”

“Yes. I should’ve told you, but I didn’t figure it’d matter much, but- …”

“...But what?”

“...Gumball,” she took a deep breath, “I think I like him.”

“Well, yeah, who wouldn’t? He’s-”

“-No, I mean... _ like-like _ him.”

“...Oh,” the cat’s expression shifted into one of realization. “...What’re you trying to say? That you-”

“-I’m not finished.” Gumball immediately closed his mouth. “I  _ like _ him, but I...I still like you, too.”

“...Are we still talking ‘like-like?’”

“Yes.”

“Ok, just checking.”

“...Well?”

“Well what?”

“Are you...upset by that?”

“I mean, you just said you’ve fallen in love with my nemesis, but honestly, of all the people you could’ve had a crush on, I’m probably grateful it’s Rob and not someone like Tobias.”

“Ew, no, never.” Pause. “...You still haven’t answered my question.”

“...I dunno. I don’t really feel upset. I don’t really know how I  _ should _ feel, but I don’t really feel... _ bad _ towards it, exactly.”

“...Then what should I do? Because I still wanna be with you, don’t get me wrong, but you know-” she allowed the statement to trail off.

“...I mean...you got two hands, don’t you?”

Penny blinked. “Wh - What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, if you want to be with Rob, but also be with me, then you could. You have a hand for each of us to hold.”

“...I- I  _ really _ cannot tell if you’re actually ok with this or not.”

“Look, I don’t really know how to feel about it, but if that’s what makes you happy, then I’m ok with it.”

“Are you  _ absolutely _ sure about that, because you really,  _ really _ don’t have to pretend to be-”

“-I’m sure. It’ll take a lot of getting used to, but I’m sure.” He gave a small smile, and the girl gave him one in return before giving him a hug.

“Thank you, Gumball. I love you.”

“Love you too, Penny.”

 

\--

“Ow! Hey-!” Rob turned around after an object smacked him right in the back of the head, and saw the blue cat standing a few feet away from him. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at the thing that hit him. “...Seriously?”

“Sorry, I was trying to hit your back but I wound up too much-”

“-No, not that.” He knelt down and picked up the object. “You threw an  _ orange _ at me, of all things?”

“Oh, that. It was gonna be a softball, but I couldn’t find it so I improvised. That’s besides the point though!” Gumball pointed at the cyclops dramatically, “You and I need to talk!”

“Ugh - if this is because I haven’t tried destroying you in a while, I swear I’m getting to it-”

“-No, not that. I need to talk to you about Penny.”

“...You need to talk to me about your girlfriend?”

“Correction;  _ our _ girlfriend.”

“...What.”

“My feelings exactly! Which brings me to my question - since when did you and Penny hang out?”

“I - I dunno, we’ve just ran into each other and talked - did you really say  _ our _ girlfriend?”

“Indeed I did. Because apparently she likes you and I, being the supportive boyfriend I’m trying extremely hard to be, said it was cool if she went out with both of us.”

“...She did that?” Gumball crossed his arms and nodded. “...Huh.” Pause. “W-Well, I didn’t ask her to do that, if that’s what you’re-”

“-No, dude, I don’t care about that part. I’m just trying to figure out how you and her even  _ begin _ to have a thing from simply running into each other a few times.”

“It’s...not quite that simple.”

“Oh?”

“It’s hard to really explain how, but her and I have kind of been friends for a while.”

Gumball stared, confused, before placing his paw on his chin. “How long is a ‘while’ exactly?”

“ _ That _ I can’t answer.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t...really remember,” he lied.

“...Uh-huh. That’s weird, because I’d never seen you hanging out with her before.”

“...You can ask her yourself if you don’t-”

“-No, I believe you. I do.” He paused, trying to think of something else to add. “...So.”

“...So we’re both with Penny now, then?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

“...What exactly does that make us? Are we still nemeses, or-?”

“...You know, I don’t really know. I mean we could be, but it seems weird being nemeses when you’re going out with the same girl.”

“That’s kind of what I was thinking.” There was an awkward silence between the two.

“...Eh,” Gumball finally said, giving a dismissive wave, “We’ll figure it out, I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (finally getting to the rob/penny/gumball part yay)


	11. Empty Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny has nightmares and asks Rob to come over.

_ “Have you seen Rob?” _

_ “...Who?” _

_ “Who’s Rob?” _

_ “Who is that?” _

_ “Never heard of him.” _

_ “We have a Rob?” _

_ “I don’t think a Rob exists in Elmore.” _

 

Penny quickly sat up in bed, tense and nearly gasping for air. She blinked after a few moments, slowly snapping out of it. She glanced at her bed sheets that were twisted and messy and saw one of her pillows on the floor.

Perfect. Another nightmare. Ever since she’d been slowly recalling more bits and pieces of her history with Rob, she’d been getting them. It was always the same day, too - the day Rob had mysteriously vanished.

She leaned over the side of her bed and picked up her pillow, hugging it closely to her as her eyes wandered her room somewhat frantically before falling to her phone on the side-table. She hesitated. She shouldn’t. She reached out and picked up. She would.

She scrolled through her contacts, attempting to ignore the fact that she was well aware that it was  _ way _ too late for any reasonable person to be awake, and eventually found Rob.

She shouldn’t. She really shouldn’t. But the last time he’d disappeared, she’d texted him and had no reply. Although she’d likely set herself up for a near panic attack with texting him at an ungodly hour, she just...needed to make sure.

 

“Rob?” she texted. She stared at her screen for a moment. This was a bad idea. He was probably asleep. She should just go back to sleep-

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and Rob had replied with “What’s up?”

She let out a breath of relief - she hadn’t even realized it, but she’d been holding it - though paused, biting the inside of her cheek. If this were a normal hour, she’d have probably come up with an excuse, but when it was as late as it was…

“Just making sure you were ok,” she confessed.

Another buzz. “Why? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her thumb hovered over the send button but she hesitated. Her brows furrowed as she looked over her message. She then added, “Just had a bad dream,” then hit send.

“Wanna talk about it?”

_ Not really _ , she thought to herself, frowning. She didn’t know how to reply to the message - and her uncertainty must have showed, for her phone buzzed with another message.

“You still there??”

“...can you please come over?” she eventually sent. Now it was Rob’s turn to go silent for reasons Penny wasn’t quite sure of. She was prepared to send another message telling him he didn’t have to, but then he replied.

“Wait by your window. I’ll be thermal.”

She gave the text a confused brow.

“there*”

“Oh,” she quietly said out loud, followed by a soft laugh. She shut off her phone and, as instructed, waited by her window for her boyfriend. After ten minutes, she finally saw him approaching and opened up her window and leaned her hands against the sill. “Hey,” she quietly greeted him.

“Hey,” he whispered, offering a small smile.

She returned the smile, then said, “Hang on - I’ll help you up.” She promptly disappeared from the window for a few seconds before coming back with her blanket. She then slowly lowered it, allowing Rob to grab onto it.

“Oh - thanks,” he said, before gripping on it and climbing up. After a minute, he was up to the window, and Penny reached out and grabbed his hand to pull him the rest of the way in. The cyclops didn’t have a chance to speak before Penny quickly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. “Oh, man,” he said softly, hugging her back, “That bad, huh?”

“Mhm,” she replied, her hum muffled.

“...Do you want to talk about it?”

“Mm-mm.” She removed herself from the hug enough to look him in the eye, and said, “I don’t really need to. You’re here - I don’t need to talk about it because you’re here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” he said gently - almost reassuringly, Penny noted. “Are you sure, though? ‘Cause I have no problem listening if that’s what you need.”

“What  _ I _ need,” the fairy said, taking his hand into her own and leading him to the bed, “Is just for you to stay with me for a while.”

“I can certainly do that.”

The two got onto the bed, and Rob stretched an arm across the pillows. Without hesitation, the girl lied down close to him, and the cyclops wrapped the one arm around her.

“...Do you remember when we used to do this?” the boy asked.

“Yeah. Almost every sleepover,” she murmured.

“Ha. Yeah. It’s no wonder people called us an ‘unofficial couple.’”

“...Not unofficial anymore, though.”

“...Yeah. Thankfully.”

Penny cracked a smile, and looked up at him. “...I’m really glad I remembered you. And that you’re here.”

“...Yeah. Me too.”

The room fell into comfortable silence - yet another common feat that happened between her and Rob that she’d remembered - and, without her even realizing, her eyes closed, and she drifted back off to sleep once again.

 

\--

 

She turned and extended an arm and was met with bedsheet. She half-opened her eyes, her vision blurred from sleep, though she could still see the empty space in her bed. She blinked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes before looking around her room. Had Rob left without telling her? Well, she supposed she couldn’t quite blame him. He probably didn’t want to get caught by her parents. She...hadn’t exactly introduced him to them yet and surely catching him in her room was not a good first impression. Well...technically second impression, given their history, but she digressed.

Her gaze moved over to the window and saw that it was open. She couldn’t quite remember if it’d been left open after she’d let Rob in, so she wasn’t certain that he left through the window. Still, she got up and out of bed and went over to close it-

She gave a startled yelp when she heard a creak of her closet before she reached her window, and was promptly met with shushing as a response. “It’s just me,” she heard the boy’s voice before he peeked around the doorway.

“...What’re you doing in my closet?” Penny asked, her voice low.

“Well, I, uh- I heard your parents wake up and I didn’t wanna get you in trouble, and I also didn’t wanna just leave without telling you, so…” He simply gestured to the door. “Closet.”

Penny soon found herself laughing quietly after a moment. “You always were a dork.”

“Yeah, but I’m your dork.”

“Don’t I know it.” She paused, before gently taking his hand into her own. “...Thanks for last night. I...I really needed that.”

“Hey,” he said, reaching his free hand and cupping her cheek, “It’s no problem. I’m here for you.” Penny smiled warmly and nodded. “...Well, guess I should head off. Will I see you later?”

“Probably.”

“Alright. See you later th-”

“Morning Penny!” Gumball, who was hanging onto the sill of the open window, suddenly greeted, earning a shriek from Rob, which Penny had to quickly muffle by covering his mouth with her hand.

“Penny?” her dad called from downstairs, “Everything ok up there?”

“Yeah dad! Just, uh...knocked something over!” She then looked at both Rob and Gumball, and muttered, “Both of you out, now.”

“Yeah, sure, just lemme-” Rob stuttered, trying to leave through the window, though of course Gumball was blocking the way. After a moment of bickering and struggling, both boys ended up suddenly slipping off and hitting the ground below. Penny winced, though she didn’t have time to check to see if they were ok when she heard footsteps approaching her room. She quickly closed the window and turned to face her dad right as he opened her door.

“Are you sure everything’s alright up here?”

“Yeah, dad. It’s all good.”

“...Alright,” he said, doubtful, “Well, come downstairs, your mother’s nearly got breakfast ready.”

“Yeah, I’ll be down in a few.” As soon as her dad left the doorway, she turned, opened her window and looked down at her two boyfriends-

“Dude, you pulled me down!” she heard the cyclops say.

“I did not! At least, I didn’t mean to,” the cat replied.

“That is-!”

“Guys,” Penny interrupted, “Can you please take this somewhere else before you get caught?”


	12. Guilty Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob & Penny feel guilt for various reasons.

Rob and Penny both seemed to have this habit of compulsively apologizing to each other, though neither was quite certain why the other was apologizing.

 

Rob apologized for nearly hurting Penny in an attempt to hurt Gumball. He hadn’t intended for it to go quite the way that it did. He’d never intended for her to fall off of the second floor of the mall.

He still remembered the panic he’d felt in his entire being when he’d saw Gumball collide with her and send her flying through the rail, glass shattering and her giving a loud cry. He remembered rapidly fiddling with the remote and slamming his finger on the pause button as soon as he’d seen it, and the relief he felt when he saw Penny suspended in the air, moments away from hitting the ground but safe for the time being. He’d never wanted to hurt her - and the fact that even after nearly witnessing his loved one get injured because of his actions, his hatred and desire for revenge still won over had always nagged at him.

He also apologized for leaving Penny in the first place. For making her feel alone, for possibly making her think that he abandoned her when he disappeared in The Void. Especially considering he’d  _ finally _ asked her out. He’d always thought it was more unfair for her than for him, and he always blamed himself for it.

Though, he never told her that’s why he was apologizing. And she always seemed confused whenever he’d randomly apologize after thinking for a little too long - thinking a little too much. “It’s alright, Rob,” she’d tell him every time. “Whatever it was, I’m sure you didn’t mean it.”

 

Penny, on the other hand, was constantly apologizing for forgetting about one of the most important person in her life. Not just forgetting, but for unintentionally moving on from him after a year. Although her love for Gumball was quite real, it still ate her up inside that a lot of the memories she had with him weren’t, and that she’d ended up falling for him so  _ quickly _ after her friend of eight years and boyfriend for less than a day vanished. Time and time again, if she’d thought too hard about it, she’d find herself mentally scolding herself for it, despite it being completely out of her control. It just- it seemed so  _ wrong _ . If she’d known -  _ remembered _ \- she’d have  _ never _ moved on. She’d have waited for the rest of her life if she had to.

She never told Rob that, though. She figured he’d think it was dumb - which she knew, reasonably, wasn’t true; but  _ she _ thought it was dumb, therefore  _ everyone else _ would, too. But every time she apologized out of nowhere, the cyclops never even asked her why. He just said, “It’s ok.” It never felt ok, though. Then one day he’d hit her with, “It’s ok. I know you wouldn’t do anything to me on purpose,” and god, that’d hit her  _ hard _ . She’d nearly cried in front of him after he said it.

 

They both compulsively apologized to each other for seemingly no reason. But although neither one knew why the other was apologizing, somehow, in some way, they both knew - there  _ was _ a reason. And though there was an unspoken agreement to not pry and find out what the reasons were, they still forgave each other.

They trusted each other not to intentionally hurt one another, and they always forgave each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter so you know that means there's a more vital one coming next update lol


	13. First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob & Penny finally have that first date! However just like everything else in their lives, it gets angsty.

“Y’know,” Gumball said casually, startling Rob who had been in the middle of working on some form of trap, “I just realized something the other day.”

“Could it wait ‘til later,” the cyclops tried to protest, “I’m in the middle of-”

“-You and Penny are supposed to be a couple, right? I know technically we’re all in a three-person relationship, but…” the boy trailed off, waiting for Rob to respond.

“...If you mean we’re supposed to be boyfriend-girlfriend, then yeah. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. I just kinda realized...you two haven’t actually like gone on a date yet, have you?”

Rob opened his mouth to respond, then closed it, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. “...Shoot,” he finally mumbled, realization dawning on him, “No, we- we haven’t, actually. I mean, we - we hang out a lot, but we haven’t actually... _ dated _ .”

“ _ Yeeeah _ , I figured as much.”

Rob, who had been kneeling to work on his contraption, quickly stood up. “Oh my gosh. We haven’t dated. We were  _ going _ to, but-”

“-Wait, what.”

“It’s a long story,” the boy said quickly. He found himself pacing soon after, walking in a small circle.

“...Dude, are you good?” Gumball asked after a solid 30 seconds of this.

“Yeah, fine, I just- I gotta go. This isn’t gonna fly.” With that, Rob promptly turned and began to head off.

Gumball tilted his head in confusion, before glancing up at the trap the other boy had been working on. His confusion immediately faded into an offended expression. “What the wh- seriously, you were gonna give me a concussion with a  _ watermelon? _ ”

“First of all, I was gonna use a rock but I couldn't find one big enough. Second, it’s not for you.”

“Who is it for then!?”

“No one! I just made it because I was bore- actually, nevermind, I don't got time for this. We’ll talk later.” With that, Rob ran off.

  


\--

  


_ Tap, tap, tap. _

Penny perked up at the knocking at her window, and, of course, seeing Rob. She couldn’t help but crack a smile as she went over and opened the window. “Didn’t need help getting up this time, I see.”

“Believe it or not, I happen to have amazing climbing skills thanks to me repeatedly climbing up trees.”

The fairy laughed, before helping him into her room. “You know, you could have used the front door. I would’ve answered.”

“I honestly could not take the chance that your dad would answer,” Rob said, a minor look of fear on his face.

Penny shook her head, still smiling. “What’s up, Rob? Is there something you need?”

“Yeah, I, uh...I kind wanted to ask you something.”

“Alright, shoot.”

Rob hesitated, fiddling with his hands for a moment. “Well, uh - I know that a lot’s happened over the past year.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Aaand it has come to my attention that I kind of...disappeared after I asked you out.”

“Right.”

“Sooo, I still owe you a date, and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to, uh...take me up on that maybe tomorrow? Say...Joyful Burger at 12? Like we were...going to do before all the...yeah.”

Rob stood stiffly, still fiddling with his hands, giving a slightly faltering and nervous smile as he attempted to gauge Penny’s reaction. Penny’s smile had softened, and she took his fidgeting hands into her own. “I’d love to,” she said gently.

“...Ha. Great! That’s - that’s great.” Pause. “...So it’s a date?”

“It’s a date.”

  


\--

  


Rob sat at the booth, lightly tapping a finger on the table as he waited for his girlfriend to show up. Which, she did, somewhat rushed and flustered as she quickly went and sat in the seat across from him, placing a small handbag beside her. “Hey! Sorry,” she apologized, “My first bus got a flat tire, I was to wait for another one.”

“No! No, it’s - it’s fine. I get it,” Rob quickly reassured her, a small smile on his face. “I, uh, I haven’t ordered yet or anything.”

“Oh, shoot Rob, you didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Well, I just- figured it’d be polite.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” the fairy replied, flashing a smile.

  


Some time later, they’d ordered and gotten their food. “Jeez, I haven’t eaten in like 3 months,” the cyclops mumbled once he’d gotten his food.

Penny laughed, before saying, “Yeah, I feel that. I mean, I honestly feel like I haven’t eaten in 4 years.”

Rob paused, at first confused, then quickly realizing his mistake. “...Um, Penny?”

“Yeah?”

He opened his mouth, ready to tell her,  _ ‘hey, I  _ **_actually_ ** _ haven’t eaten in 3 months’ _ but promptly decided against it. “...Nevermind, I forgot.”

“Oh! Alright.”

There was a small silence as the two ate, before Rob somewhat awkwardly attempted to speak up. “So, uh...how’s school been going?”

“It’s been going well! I mean, nothing special’s been going on really.”

“Oh yeah.”

Penny hummed. She then opened her mouth, before her expression shifted, having realized something. “...Rob?”

“Mhm?”

“Do...do you even still go to school?”

“Oh? Uh...no, I don’t,” he said, right before taking another bite of his burger.

“I figured as much. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in there.”

Rob swallowed. “I mean - I  _ have _ been in there, like, once since I got back, but other than that, I don’t really go there.”

“And why’s that?”

“I dunno. I didn’t think it’d do me much good given everything else, I guess.”

“...Yeah, I guess I get that.”

  


Some time later, they’d finished their lunch and received the bill. Rob immediately went to reach into his pocket.

“Wait, no, Rob, I got it-” Penny said, about to dig into her handbag.

“No, it’s fine, I can pay for some of it-”

“-No offense, Robby,” Penny said, lowering her voice a bit, “But you’re homeless. I really don’t expect you to pay anything.”

“Hey, I resent that. I might be homeless, but I’ve got, like,” he took a moment to count, blinking in surprise. “...Wow, 7 bucks? Jeez, that bus driver under-charged me earlier,” he muttered.

Penny suppressed a laugh, giving a small shake of her head as she went and paid for the meal. “Oh, hey!” she said, perking up slightly and turning to him after paying, “We should go to the park after this!”

“The park? You mean the one we used to cut through sometimes?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“Well, hey, sure. I’m down for that.”

The fairy excitedly grabbed his hand and proceeded to lead him out.

  


\--

  


“Wow, this place hasn’t changed a bit,” Rob commented as they entered the Elmore Park. “I mean - not that I’d really expect a  _ park _ to change in a span of a year.”

Penny gave a soft laugh as they walked, before falling silent. “...Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

“Where...where even were you in the past year?”

Rob hesitated, not seeming entirely against answering but not seeming certain either. “I...I don’t quite to know how to explain it, honestly.”

“Well, give me the best explanation you can give, then.”

“...I mean, it was... _ otherworldly _ I guess.”

“‘Otherworldly?’”

“I don’t know, I- I still kinda- I’m sorry.”

“Wh- no! No, don’t be, I just- I dunno, I was just curious is all.”

“I know, just- here, I disappeared for over a year and I can’t even really tell you where I was because I still don’t know how to really comprehend it.”

“Well...that’s not really your fault,” Penny murmured.

“I  _ know _ , but still, I-” he cut himself off and paused. “...I guess I’m sorry for disappearing.”

“Rob, it’s  _ fine _ . I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have even asked-”

“-Why not? It’s not like you didn’t deserve to know.”

“I know, but this really wasn’t a good time. We’re supposed to be on a date, not talking about... _ this _ .”

“...Penny?” the cyclops said after a few moments of silence.

“What?”

He hesitated. “...What- what even-” he took a breath, took a moment to recollect his thoughts, then asked, “What even happened with you the day after I asked you out?”

Penny went silent for a moment.

  


_ “Where are you?” _

  


“...I mean, I did what any person would do and tried to find you.”

“Oh...jeez, really?”

  


_ “I can’t find you where are you.” _

  


Penny nodded.

“...I’m guessing given the circumstances, that didn’t go so well.”

  


_ “Rob, if this is a joke, it’s not funny.” _

_ “Where on earth could you be…?” _

  


“...Not really, no,” Penny admitted.

There was a silence between the two, before the fairy felt her eyes watering. She attempt to subtly wipe them away, but of course, Rob noticed.

“...Pen, I’m s-”

“-Please don’t say you’re sorry again. It wasn’t your fault.”

“No, I’m sorry for pressing about this. You’re right, this really isn’t the t-” He cut himself off when he noticed Penny stop in her tracks under the shade of a tree and turn to him, the girl clearly trying not to cry.

  


_ She found herself sitting on the curb where she’d been dropped off just a few minutes ago, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was shaking, and trying her best not to cry. _

  


“...Penny?” Rob’s tone was gentle.

She didn’t respond, but she did carefully reach up and cup his face with both of her hands. The cyclops appeared confused but didn’t speak.

  


_ “Better?” he asked. _

_ “Much better.” Her hand settled on his cheek. _

  


Although hesitating for a moment, Penny stood on her tiptoes and gave the boy a small kiss on the lips that lingered for only a few fleeting moments, then promptly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulder. Naturally, Rob wrapped his arms around her in response, though admittedly surprised from the kiss.

  


_ “Yeah?” _

_ “Can - can I have a hug?” _

  


“Please don’t disappear again,” Penny whispered, shaking slightly as she continued to resist the urge to cry.

  


_ The time he spent there was spent going through what he later thought of as none other than the stages of grief in a vicious, constant cycle. _

  


“...I don’t plan to,” Rob said simply.

  


\--

  


“Ugh,” Penny groaned lightly as the two were headed back to her house, “I’m really sorry about all of that. That was...that was a mess.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I get it.” He paused, then gave a small smile. “...If it’s any consolation, I still had a good time.”

“...Yeah,” she replied, returning the smile, “I did too.”

There was a short moment of silence. “... _ Sssooo _ …”

“...So...what?”

“...Are we gonna talk about...y’know…”

“...Oh,” the fairy finally said after a moment, “You mean the kiss.”

“Yeah.”

Penny bit her lip nervously. “Yeah, that was- I was just caught up in the moment. That was probably awkward.”

“No! Actually, it was- ...nice,” he admitted.

“Oh! Well...that’s good.” The two soon reached her house and she turned to Rob with a sigh. “Well...thank you for everything.”

“No, thank  _ you _ for letting me take you out on a date.”

The fairy smiled before giving him another small kiss and hugging him. “Later, Rob.”

“Later, Pen.”

With that, she watched him walk down the sidewalk and turn the corner, before heading inside her house.


	14. A Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Small decides to lend Rob a hand.

Penny had managed to convince Rob to return to school. Well, not that it took much to convince him - one mention of Chemistry and he was all for it. Although he still got a couple of looks - likely for his appearance, he’d guess - he mostly managed to avoid really talking to too many people. In a past life, he’d have done anything to socialize - now, he was much more content on keeping his head low, and mostly sticking to hanging with Gumball and Penny, though he wasn’t against hanging around any possible company they brought with them. Actually, a part of him was convinced the both of them hung around other students to encourage him to make some new friends. Not that he minded.

 

He’d been at that school for about a month when he’d apparently caught the attention of the school’s counsellor, Mr. Small. He hadn’t really spoken to the man himself other than the occasional ‘hello’ when they passed by in the hallways, but little had he known, Mr. Small had apparently noticed something a little peculiar about Rob’s arriving at school. While Rob had always left school at the end of the day in one specific direction (to Penny’s house - just like he used to), his pattern of getting to school in the morning seemed almost sporadic. Sometimes he’d show up on the bus, sometimes he’d walk - but his route seemed to change just a little too often. Not to mention his timing; he was rarely on time. He was nearly always either just a touch early or arriving late.

Mr. Small had tried not to think about it, even when he’d caught this happening about three times. It wasn’t until one Sunday morning when he’d been driving and happened to see Rob leaving the  _ junkyard _ of all places that he finally let himself get a little concerned.

 

“Hey - Robert, isn’t it?” Mr. Small said, finally approaching the boy.

Rob blinked, his eye flickering off to the side for a moment before offering an awkward smile. “It’s...Rob, sir. Just Rob.”

“Oh, sorry! My bad,” the man said, offering an apologetic smile before clearing his throat. “Can I see you in my office, please?”

Although confused by the request, the cyclops still followed him to his office. “Did I...do something wrong, Mr. Small?” he asked as he took a seat in the chair across from his desk.

“Oh, no, not at all. I just wanted to ask you a few questions is all, since, y’know, you’re new to this school and all.”

Naturally, Rob wasn’t gonna bother correcting the man and explain how he’d been at that school for as long as any other student there, and simply nodded. The counsellor hesitated, opening his mouth before closing it again, clearly trying to process what exactly he was trying to ask.

“...How’s your home life?” Mr. Small finally decided to ask.

“...My...home life?” The man nodded. “...I mean, it’s...alright,” he lied, “Why?”

“Well, you know, it’s nothing major, but I may have noticed some rather interesting behaviours. Mostly with your arrival at school, and-”

“-Wait, let me guess; you were the one that drove by the junkyard yesterday,” the boy said, eye going half-lidded.

“...Maybe,” he said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. Rob sighed quietly, putting a hand over his face. “I swear I just happened to notice-”

“-Look, Mr. Small, I swear, that isn’t because of my ‘home life’ or whatever. I just...like hanging out at the junkyard.”

“...At 9 in the morning?”

“... _ Iiit _ doesn’t smell quite as bad in the morning…?” Rob said, though he wasn’t very convincing.

“...Robin-”

“Rob.”

“ _ Rob _ , my bad- it’s just us two in this office. You can be honest with me.” He gave a small smile and folded his hands on the desk.

The cyclops remained quiet, his eye focused on the desk rather than making eye contact with the counsellor. “I don’t actually...have a home,” Rob confessed in a mumble.

“...Oh?” the boy nodded. “Oh.” Silence. “...You don’t have a guardian, or-”

“-No. I don’t have anyone or anything.”

“So you...stay at the junkyard?”

“Mostly. I stay at a couple of friends’ houses sometimes if they can let me, but otherwise...yeah.”

Rob still hadn’t looked up at the man, but he could feel him staring. Mr. Small appeared worried, a frown deep on his features. “...How long has this been... _ going on _ , exactly?”

The boy shrugged. “I dunno. A while, I guess.”

Silence fell in the room again. The counsellor bit his lip, his gaze shifting off to the side as he lightly tapped his fingers against the desk in thought. This hadn’t exactly been a possibility he’d mentally prepared for, admittedly. “...I see,” he said finally, breaking the silence.

“...Would you like me to go now, sir?” the boy asked, finally looking up. The counsellor wasn’t looking at him, though. He had a hand rested on his chin, his brow furrowed and his expression thoughtful. “...Mr. Small?” he said again, trying to gain his attention though failing.

“...I don’t usually ask this,” the man said, “But are you...open for any suggestions?”

Rob blinked in surprise by the question. “Uh...yeah, sure. I guess.”

“The fact is, Rob,” Mr. Small said after a short pause, “You can’t stay on the streets like that. I mean, you  _ can _ , but it’s not really the best way to live your life, and I’m not sure if I’m comfortable letting you stay out there on your own after you told me this.”

“...You’re not going to to me over to the authorities or something, are you?” he asked, genuine fear in his eye.

“Oh, no, nothing like that!” the monster lowered his voice, “They probably wouldn’t know what to do with you, anyway.”

“...Um…”

“Rob, what I’m trying to ask is - would you be ok if you stayed with me for a bit?”

He perked up. “...Wh- Wait, seriously?”

“Well, sure! My home’s kind of small, but I don’t really live with anyone else.”

The boy’s mouth was agape. “I mean...I dunno, I don’t wanna impose-”

“-It wouldn’t be any problem at all! Honest. I’d be more than glad to lend a hand.”

Rob simply stared for a long moment before giving a small nod. “Ok,” he said quietly. Mr. Small simply gave a large smile in response.


	15. One Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob's got sleeping issues. Mr. Small tries to help him out.

Rob never did sleep a whole lot since he was sent into that...Void. It was hard to, what with the constant sound of TV static and various other  _ mistakes _ , and eventually had just gotten used to practically never sleeping, even after he’d escaped. Though, that being said, that didn’t mean he hadn’t caught himself dozing on occasion. If the air was still and his surroundings quiet, it wasn’t difficult to relax to the point of exhaustion. 

Though, that relaxation never did last. Every time he did fall asleep, he’d been greeted by that awful, grating white noise, along with that endless abyss of mistakes and... _ nothingness _ . And every time he woke up, he felt like he’d be on the verge of a panic attack. It was why he tried to avoid silence and, with it, sleep in the first place.

 

The first night this had happened when Rob had started staying at Mr. Small’s place was one that’d nearly given the man a panic attack of his own. He’d been startled awake by the sound of the front door opening and closing down the hall at 3 in the morning, and, in his half-awake and half-frightened state had instinctively grabbed a bat to investigate. After a walk to the living room and a flick of a light switch, he’d spotted Rob in the living room fiddling with bits of scrap metal, who clearly had been startled by getting caught there.

“Rob, what’re you doing…?” Mr. Small asked in a hushed voice.

“Uhhh...nothing?”

“Where’d you get that?” He gestured to the metal with one hand while he set aside the bat.

“...The junkyard,” the boy admitted.

“You went to the junkyard at 3 in the morning?”

“W-Well, I couldn’t- I couldn’t sleep. And usually, I go there, and I’ll- I’ll dig through it and start making tr- things. I’ll start making things, and-”

“-Rob, slow down. I’m not mad, just- next time, give a guy a warning. I thought someone broke in or something.”

“...Yeah. Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” The monster offered a tired but warm smile. He then let out a small breath before taking a seat next to the boy on the couch. “Did you have a nightmare or somethin’?”

“No, I-” Rob went to lie, before cutting himself off, and quickly saying, “Yeah. Yeah, something like that.”

“...Wanna talk about it?”

Rob hesitated. “...I mean, there’s not much to talk about. It was the same dream I always had. With...TV static.”

“TV static?” Mr. Small raised a brow.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a, uh...phobia of mine, I guess.”

“ _ Ohhh _ . I get that. That’s like me with tight spaces. Not a fan.”

“Ha - yeah.” The cyclops looked down at the scrap metal in his hands.

“...So this is how you unwind?” Mr. Small asked.

“Eh, kind of? I mean, it...keeps me busy.” Pause. “...Doesn’t really help me get back to sleep much, though,” he confessed in a mutter.

“Thhhen, how do you go back to sleep?”

“I don’t.”

Mr. Small blinked before frowning. “Yeesh. Do these dreams shake you up  _ that _ badly?” Rob paused before nodding. “Hm...well that isn’t good,” he said, his expression turning thoughtful. “You need sleep eventually.”

“Well, actually, Mr. Small-”

“-One second, Rob, I’m thinking.”

“But sir, the thing about me sleeping is that I don’t really-”

“-Wait! I know a good way to help you.” The boy blinked and stared at him, but was listening anyway. “Ok, so you know how when it’s  _ real _ late, and then you start getting weird thoughts, like- like why do they call oranges ‘oranges’ but they don’t call bananas ‘yellows’ or something along those lines?”

“... _ Uhhhhhhhhh _ , suuure…?” Rob said, with the utmost hesitance.

“Well! What if you came up with some of those to help you fall asleep?” The counsellor was smiling, but the cyclops seemed even more hesitant.

“Aren’t...3am thoughts meant to keep you  _ awake? _ ”

“Only if you let them. What they’re  _ really _ meant to do is distract you.”

“Yeah, distract you from sleeping.”

“ _ Only if you let them _ ,” Mr. Small repeated, with a slightly stern tone, “ _ But _ , they can also distract you from that awful nightmare you have.”

Rob paused for a moment, gaze going off to the side and eye squinting in thought, then looked back at Mr. Small and shook his head. “I’m not sure if I understand how that’ll actually help me…”

“Well, give it a try anyway!”

  
  


Surprisingly enough, Mr. Small’s suggestion actually... _ worked _ . It was weird and probably not the kind of advice a counsellor would usually give, but it  _ worked. _ Although Rob still continued to get nightmares - which, he likely always would - he at least had a way to deal with them. Admittedly, it had even begun to be a sort of funny little thing between him and Mr. Small for them to share the odd stuff they’d come up with. They’d tell each other them at practically any point in the day when they got the chance.

Though, unfortunately, at one point, it seemed that Rob wandered into territory that he... _ probably _ should’ve left alone.

 

“Hey, hey,” Rob said after getting over his own laughter from Mr. Small’s last 3am thought, “What if- what if we were just all characters from a TV show or something? Would that be messed up or what?”

Mr. Small laughed at the time. “That would be pretty strange, yeah.” Later that night, Rob heard him wake up in his bed and say, “ _ Wait, what if we are, though. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk this chapter was more of a silly idea than anything but here u go anyway gkjf


	16. Adjustment Period

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob's life sure has been busy since he escaped The Void.

Rob’s life had changed a lot since he’d escaped from The Void. In just a span of a few months, he’d been an arch-nemesis and a villain, he’d reunited with Penny, he’d somehow ended up being part of of a three-person relationship with his own nemesis, he’d gone back to school and he’d found a home.

Although that’d sounded like a lot on its own, there were a lot of other events that had occurred as well.

 

\--

 

For starters; Penny’s dad.

Patrick had always liked Rob prior to his disappearance. Rob had always treated him with nothing less than respect and a wary politeness. After Rob had returned, he’d been far too hesitant in re-meeting him. After all, Rob had to admit that he’d changed quite a bit since he’d returned.

 

“Come on, Rob,” Penny said, “He liked you before- I doubt his opinion would change that drastically.”

“Considering everything else, I doubt your doubts.”

“Well  _ I’m _ doubt your doubting of my doubts.”

“...What.”

Penny sighed. “Look, Robby, he once told me that he preferred someone who was polite, mild-mannered-”

“-Which I am neither of those things-”

“-and  _ stayed _ out of trouble.”

“Don’t really do that, either.”

“You’ll be fine. Just...be yourself.”

“According to the World, I’m not exactly all that exciting.”

Penny flashed a smile, before reaching up and giving him a quick peck on the lips. “Given how he feels about Gumball, I think he’ll appreciate someone ‘not all that exciting’.”

Rob merely took a breath and nodded.

 

That night, Rob had stayed over for dinner, and god, it was easily one of the most awkward situations he’d partaken in.

“So...you’re Rob?” Patrick asked.

“Yes, sir,” the boy replied, trying his best not to let his voice shake.

“Are you the kid that Gumball rambled about for who knows how long?”

“I am.”

“So I’m guessing you met Penny through him, then?”

“Yes, I did, sir,” he lied.

The girl gave him a glance from across the table and flashed a small smile. Or...was that a smirk? Rob’s eye widened slightly. Oh god, what was she about t-

“Actually, dad, there’s something I feel like I should probably tell you.”

Patrick raised a brow. As Penny was about to open her mouth, Rob said, “I’m dating your daughter, sir.”

“ _ What? _ ” the man said, surprised.

“ _ Rob and I _ ,” Penny quickly said, flashing a look at the cyclops, “Are both dating Gumball. Turns out Rob was some crush of Gumball’s, and after having a chat, we agreed to be part of a three-way relationship.”

Both of Penny’s parents exchanged glances with each other, her father seeming more confused than anything. “Well,” Penny’s mother spoke, “We’re happy for all of you. Aren’t we, Patrick?”

“...Yeah.”

 

“What the heck, Rob?” Penny whispered as soon as her parents were out of earshot. “You

should’ve let me tell him about our relationship.”

“I would’ve had to explain myself either way. Besides- he’ll probably appreciate that I just told him myself.”

“Yeah, but still! He could’ve flipped his lid-”

“Everything alright, here?” Penny jumped slightly and Rob sat up straight when Patrick’s voice was heard.

“Yeah, dad, it’s fine,” the fairy replied.

“Good. Rob, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Penny gave a glance towards him and shook her head slightly. Rob, however, decided to get up from his seat and follow her father into another room anway.

“So,” Patrick said, “You’re... _ also _ dating my daughter?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you also happen to be dating her boyfriend.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So was she telling the truth? About the relationship?”

“Yes, sir.”

There was a small amount of silence that fell between them, and Rob shuffled his foot a bit awkwardly. “...Be honest with me, Rob; how long have you been seeing Penny?”

“A few months, sir.”

“And how long have you been  _ dating _ her?”

“A month, sir.”

“So why am I only knowing about you now?”

“Well, sir, I guess I’m just good at staying invisible.”

There was another few moments of silence. Patrick extended his hand and placed it firmly on the boy’s shoulder, which naturally made Rob wince. “Quit being so nervous, kid. I don’t bite.”

 

“‘Quit being so nervous, I don’t bite?’” Gumball repeated what Rob told had told him and Penny. “What does that even mean?”

“I dunno,” Rob said, “Guess he appreciated my honesty?” The cyclops glanced over at Penny, who merely shrugged.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” the girl mumbled.

“That’s ridiculous!” the cat exclaimed, “I’ve been trying to earn his approval forever and a half, and you manage to earn it in one dinner!?”

Rob shrugged and Gumball groaned in frustration.

 

\--

Second of all; Rob’s friends.

Rob had used to hang out with a select group of people outside of Penny; Rachel, Carrie, and Clare. They hadn’t been  _ best friends for life _ or anything, but they’d been friends who hung out and laughed and occasionally talked smack about other students. They had been the best friends he could’ve asked for.

Unfortunately, after his disappearance, it appeared that they hadn’t continued to hang out without him. They had gone their separate ways and found other friends to hang out with and generally didn’t even seem to speak with each other like before. Rob hadn’t exactly made an effort to try and talk to them; he figured they likely wouldn’t care much for him anymore. The only person he’d ever spoken to out of the three was Carrie, thanks to her being Darwin’s girlfriend, but even then they’d only exchanged greetings and hardly more.

 

There was one person who’d been interested in befriending Rob, however.

He’d been sitting alone in the cafeteria - Penny had been out of school on a trip and Gumball was likely getting himself into trouble again. He was working on a DIY model that Mr. Small had gotten him to keep him busy when Molly approached him all smiles.

“Hey!” she’d greeted, making him look up quickly.

“Oh- hey!” he replied, a genuine smile appearing on his expression. Although the two hadn’t spoken much prior to or after The Void, there had been a part of him that’d hoped she was ok. And from looking just then, she certainly seemed like she was doing better than he had.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked.

Rob shifted over a bit and gestured to the now free spot. “Be my guest.” As she put her tray down and sat next to him, there was a part of him that wondered if she’d even actually remembered him.

“Whatcha building?” she asked, looking over at the model.

“Oh, it’s- it’s just a DNA strand thing.”

“Ooh, that’s cool! You know, that reminds me of this one thing-”

Just like that, she’d begun telling him stories about her own experiences. And Rob listened intently to every word of it. It wasn’t until the bell had rung that she’d cut herself off, and ended up looking at him with an apologetic and sheepish expression.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was rambling that much - I took up your whole lunch hour!”

“Hey- it’s fine! Really. I actually liked listening to you.”

The dino seemed to light up like a Christmas tree. “...Really?”

“Yeah! I mean, it beat sitting by myself in silence, that’s for sure.”

“Well, thanks!” Pause. “...Would you mind if we did it again, some time?”

“Not at all.”

“Cool!! Well, see ya’ around, Rob. Glad to see you’re doing alright.”

The cyclops stopped what he was doing, pausing for a moment before watching her leave. He blinked a bit, before giving a small smile. “Yeah...you too, Molly.”

 

The two had talked more since then - and despite both of them knowing what they’d been through (well, Rob  _ assumed _ she knew), they never spoke about it. They only spoke about their lives, their hobbies, their friends-

“Why don’t you try reaching out to them again?” Molly asked, tilting her head slightly. Rob had decided to admit to the whole thing involving his friends.

He shook his head. “Nah. I’m a lot different than I used to be. They probably wouldn’t be interested.”

“If they’re really your friends, I’m sure they won’t care.”

“It’s...probably a little more complicated than that.”

“Well, you know what they say - you miss all the shots that you don’t take. Which reminds me-”

 

So Rob did end up reaching out to them. Well- two of them, anyway. He’d still been figuring out on how to approach Rachel, but he had managed to reach out to Carrie and Clare. Shockingly enough, they actually seemed to react to his company the same as they had before.

“Oh, Rob, that’s great!” Penny said cheerfully when Rob brought it up to her and Gumball at lunch one time. “It’s nice to see you reaching out to them again.”

“Hey, if you need help with Rachel,” Gumball said, “I’m sure I could talk to Tobias or something.”

“Uh, no offense Gumball, but maybe you should leave talking to Tobias to me,” the fairy said, side-eyeing him.

“Or,” Rob said, “Maybe you can just let me handle it? I mean, I appreciate you wanting to help, but I wanna do this at my own pace, y’know?”

“Sure thing, dude,” the cat replied, finger-gunning towards him. “We gotcha.”

The cyclops opened his mouth to speak when Clare came up behind him. “Hey, Rob,” she said, “I’m heading out back, wanna come with?”

Rob glanced over at Gumball and Penny, who both nodded, then shot a smile Clare’s way. “Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

 

\--

 

Last, but finally not least; his mom.

Yes, he’d once told Gumball that he didn’t have a mother. But that had been  _ long _ before he’d remembered what he remembered now.

 

He’d been walking home with Penny one day. They had to take a detour due to construction, and happened to walk by a certain house that made Rob stop in his tracks and stare at it. Penny eventually stopped as well, before backing up and pulling up beside him. She opened her mouth to ask him what was up, before noticing the house.

“...What ever happened to her, Pen?” Rob asked quietly.

“Your mom?” He nodded. “...She left.”

“Left? Like...moved away?”

“Yeah. She kinda...shut herself off from everyone and, one day, without much warning, she left Elmore.”

“...Did she forget about me, too?”

“...No. She remembered you. She remembered you a little too well, actually. She was kinda considered the town crazy for a while. Searching for someone who supposedly didn’t exist.”

Rob found his eye tearing up, which made Penny place a gentle hand on his shoulder. He rested his own hand on hers, and said, “If only she’d have waited just a little longer…”

“...You’ll get to see her again one day, Robby. I know you will.”

 

\--

 

So a lot of things had happened in the past 7 months since Rob escaped The Void. Some good, some bad - mostly good, though. And to think; there was still plenty room left for even more events to occur in his life.


	17. Freight Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumball tries to take Rob on a date. Things go...well, badly, as per the usual plot formula.

“I  _ just _ realized the worst thing,” Gumball suddenly said, sitting up on Penny’s bed.

“What is it?” the fairy asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

“You and I have went out on dates. That’s obvious.”

“Right.”

“And you and Rob have gone on dates.”

“Uh-huh.”

“...Rob and I never have gone out on one, though.”

Penny’s brows furrowed, concern already seeping into her expression. “...Gumball-”

“Actually, we don’t even hang out with each other. I think we only talk to each other when we’re all hanging out together.”

“Yeah, well-”

Gumball gasped. “Oh my gosh- we’re supposed to be in a relationship and we don’t even talk to each other!”

“Well, that’s-”

“What if he’s bored of me? What if he still hates me? Wait, no- him hating me would be better, because that’d mean he care, right?”

“I think you’re-”

“Wait, what if he thinks  _ I _ don’t care? What if that’s why he doesn’t talk to me?”

“Could you please listen to me for a s-”

The cat slammed his fist in his hand. “I gotta do something for him. This won’t stand!”

“Gumball, I think you’re thinking a little too deeply int-  _ aaand _ he’s gone.” Penny sighed, flopping onto her bed. “This isn’t gonna go well,” she muttered.

 

\--

 

Rob stood patiently outside of a diner, lightly tapping his foot as he continued to wait for Gumball. He checked his phone and looked over the text messages from him asking him to hang out at the diner. It was nearly 30 minutes passed the time the cat had suggested. “Man, you’re the one who invited me out,” the cyclops muttered, putting his phone away, “So where are you?”

Conveniently after he’d said that, he’d heard panting quickly approaching him. His gaze shifted and there he saw Gumball running. The boy came to a halt, leaned over and put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, sweating profusely.

“...Are you oka-” Rob attempted to ask, but Gumball promptly pointed a finger, signalling him to wait. He then took a deep breath in and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and proceeded to act as if he hadn’t been practically dying a second ago.

“Sorry about that, my bus broke down and I had to run here.” He then went and opened the restaurant door and gestured for the other to enter. “Shall we?”

Rob hesitated, but gave a quiet sigh and entered. Gumball entered shortly behind him, and- “Oh my god,” the cyclops mumbled under his breath, covering the area where his nose should be with his hand.

The cat raised a brow. “What?”

“N-...Nothing,” Rob lied, quickly removing his hand.

Gumball looked at him for a moment before shrugging, and approaching the front counter. “Table for two, please?” he asked Larry.

Larry gave him a bit of a skeptical look, and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly noticed Rob, who was making hand gestures telling him  _ not _ to speak. The rock-man raised a brow but simply said, “Right this way.

 

The two were seated at a table shortly after, and while Gumball went to look at the menu, Rob was subtly attempting to cover his ‘nose’.

“Sooo,” the cat started after a few moments of silence, “What do you usually like to get at these sort of places?”

“I, uh, couldn’t really say,” the boy replied, “I don’t usually...go to places like this.”

“Then this is a bit of a treat for you, isn’t it?” he asked, ears perking up slightly.

“Y-Yeah, I guess.” Pause. “...Gumball?”

“Yeah?”

“You...ran here. Right?”

“Yeah.”

“In...that?” Rob gestured to his wool sweater, making the cat look down at himself.

“...Yeah. Why?” The cyclops proceed to make a gesture indicating for the other to grab at his shirt collar. Gumball followed it and, after a pause and a quick realization, gave the fabric a sniff. “...Oh my gosh. I smell awful.”

“Yeeeah. Kind of.”

Gumball proceeded to panic internally, though tried to prevent it from appearing on his expression. He didn’t have any other clothes with him, or anything that could mask the scent. “Uhhh,” he said, after another moment of thought, “...Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Rob asked, raising a brow as the cat hopped off from his seat.

“Bathroom. I’m gonna try and fix this. If Larry comes around, just, uhhh, ask for the salad.” With that, he quickly sprinted off.

Rob watched him go, then flipped to the salads part of the menu. “...Ok, but which one.”

 

Gumball reappeared after several minutes, appearing more confident in himself as he took his seat.

“I just got a caesar salad for you,” Rob said as he came back, “I didn’t know what you wanted-...”

“Eh, that’s fine. Better than nothing,” Gumball replied with a smile, not even noticing that the cyclops had trailed off. He then leaned an elbow on the table and propped his head up with his hand. “So, how’s life been going for you?”

“It’s...been going, I guess,” he said, distracted. “Uh, Gumball, did you- did you try to wash your sweater or something?”

“Yeah, of course. Why?”

“...I just, uh...noticed that it smelled...a  _ little _ better,” Rob lied.

“Oh, thank gosh,” the cat said, exhaling in relief. He proceeded to just sort of ramble, while Rob was trying hard to bite his tongue and not inform the other boy that he, in fact, still smelled quite terrible.

 

It wasn’t until Larry had decided to swing by and mutter, “I’m really sorry, you two, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

“What?” Gumball said. “Why?”

“Customers are complaining about the smell,  _ Watterson _ . You can’t stay here.”

The cat immediately looked at Rob in both an offended manner and shock. “You said I didn’t smell that bad!”

“I said you smelled a  _ little _ better,” the boy said under his breath, “I didn’t wanna tell you that you smelled like wet mothballs and cheap dispenser soap.”

“I do?”

“Look, it doesn’t matter,” the employee quickly interjected, “I just need you to go,  _ please _ .”

“...Is the meal free at least?” Gumball asked, hopefully.

Larry gave him a blank, unimpressed stare. “No.”

The cat huffed, before proceeding to dig in his pocket for some money. When he took it out, the rock-man held out his hand for it, but Gumball proceeded to grab his glass of water.

“...What’re you doing?” Rob asked.

“It’s a trick I got from the internet,” he replied, dropping the money in it and making Larry groan quietly.

“Dude, you don’t have to do th-”

Gumball proceeded to take a menu and attempted to use it to flip the glass over...but instead ended up spilling water all over the table which, in turn, spilled water all over him and Rob too. Rob inhaled sharply and glared at the cat, who gave a nervous laugh. With that, the cyclops got up, and handed money to Larry himself, mumbling, “For your trouble,” before walking past him and heading for the exit. Gumball didn’t hesitate to follow after him shortly after.

 

\--

 

“So, your clothes are like...technically a part of you, right?”

“Mhm.”

“So if you get wet, does that mean your clothes get wet or is it just you?”

Rob gave him a harsh stare.

“...Yeeeah, nevermind,” the cat said, averting his gaze.

The two made a quick run back to Gumball’s house to get dried off, (and, in Gumball’s case, changed) and were now currently walking along the sidewalk together.

“...So,” Gumball tried again, “Where are we, uh...going exactly?”

“Laser Video,” Rob replied flatly. “Mr. Small insists on having a movie night every other week and it’s my turn to choose some.”

“Oh! Well, that’s cool.” Pause. “...Wait, you...hang out with Mr. Small?”

“I’ve been living with him for weeks.”

“Oh, I...did not know that.” The boy gave an attempted smile, “Hey, guess I can say I learned something new about you, huh?” He proceeded to lightly elbow Rob after the comment.

“I guess s-” the cyclops cut himself off with a yell as Gumball’s nudge made one of his feet slip, causing him to fall right into an open manhole. Gumball covered his mouth in shock for a moment before leaning over to look in the manhole.

“Whoa- is that kid ok?” a construction worker asked moments after Gumball peered in, holding the barrier meant to go around the manhole.

There was a solid 30 seconds of cursing from the cyclops that made both Gumball and the worker cringe. “...Yeah, he’s fine,” Gumball muttered.

 

\--

 

After some time was spent getting Rob  _ out _ of the manhole and cleaning him up in a restroom with several paper towels, Gumball had promptly decided to take him to the park. Surely,  _ surely _ there was nothing that could go wrong there.

“Ah,” the cat exhaled, leaning back on the park bench. “Isn’t this nice?”

“After the day I’ve had? Definitely an upgrade.” The boy gave a forced, awkward laugh at the cyclops’ rather bitter reply. “...Ok, I’ll bite; did Penny put you up to this?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause, y’know, she used to get concerned when you and I wouldn’t talk to each other-”

“-She did?”

“-And, y’know, it seems like a ‘Penny’ thing to do to tell you to take me here, considering we had part of our first date here.”

“...Y...you did?”

“Yeah?” Silence. “...Wait, you genuinely mean Pen didn’t suggest this?” Gumball gave a slow nod. “Oh.” Pause. “Well, I just made this awkward,” he mumbled under his breath.

“No you didn’t!” Gumball said, a little too panicky and a little too loudly, which startled the other boy. “I-I mean, no, man, it’s cool,” he tried again, feigning a smooth facade.

“...Wait, so if this wasn’t Penny’s idea, then...why’d you want to do all of this?”

“Well, it just…” he hesitated, trying to think up of an excuse. “...It just seemed like a nice day to hang out! Birds are chirping, sun’s shining, the clouds are-” Gumball cut himself off as he looked up, which made Rob look up as well after a moment. “...Coming in way quicker than I’d expected.” Shortly after saying that, rain began to drizzle, which promptly developing into a pour.

“...You were saying?” Rob looked at him with an unimpressed raised brow.

Gumball merely coughed.

 

\--

 

“Rob! Rob, wait up!”

“Just go home, Gumball!” the cyclops demanded, irritated, as he held a newspaper over his head in an attempt to keep himself from getting completely drenched.

“No- Rob, I’m trying to tell you-” Before he could finish his sentence, the newspaper Rob was holding - which had been nearly full of water - proceeded to rip in half, resulting in a large amount of water dumping on the boy’s head. “...That. I was trying to tell you that.”

The cyclops proceeded to fold up the soaked pieces of paper into a ball before slamming it on the ground, then clenched his fists at his sides and continued walking.

“Rob! Seriously, wait!” The cat attempted to keep up, only slowing as Rob ended up reaching the porch to Mr. Small’s home and stopping at the step. “Just let me explain-”

“-You don’t  _ have _ to explain  _ anything _ ,” the boy said, turning so sharply to face the other that Gumball couldn’t help but flinch a bit. “I don’t  _ want _ to know what your explanation is.”

“But-”

“- _ Look _ , Gumball, I-!” The cyclops was about to snap at him, but clenched his fist tightly and bit his tongue before releasing a loud sigh. “...I  _ understand _ you were probably trying to be nice or something, but it  _ didn’t _ work out.”

“I know, but-”

“-And that’s not your fault! That is...not your fault.” He turned and started approaching the front door. “There’s just some things that can’t be helped, and today was one of them.”

“But Rob,” the cat went up on the porch and stood just behind him, “I just wanted to-”

“-Go  _ home _ , Gumball.” He opened the front door and stepped in, turning to look at the boy. “Seriously, it’s fine.” Pause. “...I’ll talk to you some other time.” And with that, he closed the door, leaving Gumball on the porch alone.

 

\--

 

“...I just don’t get it,” Gumball said on the phone to Penny that night, his tone uncharacteristically disappointed and quiet. “It seems like everything that  _ could’ve _ gone wrong  _ went _ wrong. I mean, all I wanted to do was try and do something nice for him, and instead I just…” he sighed, and murmured, “Embarrassed him and made his whole day suck.”

“ _...I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you two, Gumball. Your heart was in the right place, _ ” Penny replied.

The boy was silent, before flopping down on his bed. “...Is it true that you actually used to be concerned when him and I wouldn’t talk?”

The fairy paused. “ _...In a past life, yeah. _ ”

“Past life?”

“ _ I’ll explain some other time. But yes. I did used to get concerned. _ ”

“Mm.”

“ _...Buuut, you know why I don’t get concerned about you two anymore? _ ”

“Why?”

“ _ Well, because I’ve learned that you and Rob have always just been kind of...like that. _ ”

“...Like what?”

“ _ Not talking unless you’re with a mutual friend? That’s how it always seems to be with you two. _ ” Pause. “ _ When you’re not being nemeses or something, that is. _ ”

“Oh...well, what does that mean?”

“ _ It means that currently, your guys’ best comfort zone is when you’re just...not talking unless there’s someone around. _ ”

“But I don’t want it to stay like that! I...I like Rob. He’s cool. And we’re supposed to be in this relationship- I don’t want to just  _ not _ talk to him-”

“ _ -I know, I know! But this is what I’m getting at- you are prone to trying to make large gestures. We can both agree on that. _ ”

“Yeah.”

“ _ But Rob isn’t a big gesture kind of person. You didn’t know that, did you? _ ”

“No, I-!” he attempted to answer defensively, then went quiet for a moment. “...No. I didn’t.” Pause. “...What does that have to do with anything, though?”

“ _ You’re jumping ahead and focusing on the whole ‘relationship’ thing- when really you should just...focus on being his friend first. _ ” The cat stayed quiet, so she continued, “ _ That’s how him and I started out. That’s how you and I started out. So maybe that’s how you two should start, too. _ ”

“...You’re right,” he said, perking up, though it quickly faded. “...But where do I start? After an attempt like today’s, he might not be too eager…”

“ _ I know this might be hard for you, but just start simple. Just offer to chat, or hangout after school, or… _ ” she trailed off, seemingly thinking of another example. “ _...Well, you get the point anyway. _ ”

“...Thanks, Penny. You’re always a ton of help.”

 

\--

 

_ Tap, tap, tap _ .

Rob opened the door, looking around for a moment before hearing someone clear their throat and proceeding to look down, and see none other than Gumball himself...holding a container of watermelon with a movie rested on the lid.

“...What is this?” Rob asked after staring for a few moments.

“An apology,” the cat admitted in a sigh, “For yesterday.” The cyclops’ brow immediately furrowed, and he quickly added, “Just give me a minute to explain, then I’ll leave if you want. That’s all I ask.”

“...Alright.”

Gumball took a deep breath in. “...Look, that date yesterday- I was just trying to show you that I cared about you too. I know you’re mostly in this relationship for Penny, and to be fair, I am as well, but- I dunno. I didn’t want you to feel like you couldn’t hang out with me I guess.” Pause. “Plus, I didn’t want you to get bored of me, either. I mean, I know you’ve broken up with me before, and I just-”

“-Wait, wait, slow down,” Rob interrupted.

“Oh, c’mon, you said you’d let me-”

“-Yesterday was supposed to be a  _ date? _ ”

“...Yeah?”

In that moment, it seemed to hit Rob like a freight train.

“...Wait-” Gumball said, realizing, “You...you genuinely had no idea?”

“No! I thought you were just trying to- Actually, I didn’t know  _ what _ you were trying to do. I was beginning to think you just wanted something from me or something like that.”

“Jeez, dude- no! No, I just wanted to hang out, and it...backfired.  _ Really _ badly.”

“...Huh,” the cyclops said gently, then eyed the stuff the cat was holding. “...And this is an apology-”

“-For completely screwing things up. Yeah.” He averted his gaze.

Rob went silent for a few moments before sighing and taking the container and movie from him. “You know, you should’ve  _ called _ me to tell me you were coming over.” Gumball raised a brow in confusion. “I would’ve made, like, popcorn or something to go with this movie.” The cat’s ears raised in surprise, and his mouth was open in shock. Rob stepped to the side, clearly inviting him in. “...Well? This is what you wanted to do, right?”

“...What about-”

“-Mr. Small? He’s out. Doing some yoga crap or whatever.” Gumball still seemed hesitant. “Come on! It’ll be fun! And hopefully  _ won’t _ go wrong this time,” he said, offering a bright smile.

After a pause, the boy returned the other’s smile, and entered his home.


	18. Some Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just some shenanigans!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is basically like a compilation of little snippets & ideas & funny little interactions i'd thought of while writing this fic that A) couldn't fit into other chapters, B) wasn't large enough for its own chapter or C) just kind of a stupid lil thing i thought of & rlly isnt meant to be taken seriously at all
> 
> it also should (hopefully) answer some questions that may have come up in the main story & is overall just a nice, funny lil chapter to enjoy before the final chapter arrives!!
> 
> hope you guys enjoy!

“What was that?” Penny practically demanded as soon as she heard her dad mutter something under his breath after she had  _ thought _ they’d finished their conversation about a certain blue cat.

“I said, ‘I think you can do better than him.’”

“ _ Better _ than him?” The fairy propped her hands on her hips, an irritated frown on her expression. “Better  _ how _ , exactly?”

“I don’t know - maybe someone polite, mild-mannered and  _ doesn’t _ cause trouble?”

The girl opened her mouth to speak, pointing an index finger, then closed her mouth after a second thought. “...Well - Gumball might not meet  _ your _ standards, but he’s perfectly fine to  _ me _ .”

Her father raised a brow. “Is this not the kid that was rambling about some other kid at  _ your _ birthday?”

“That’s different-! We’re just going through something!”

“ _ Going _ through something? As in present tense?”

“No! I mean yes, but that’s not-” She groaned, frustrated. “Gumball’s a good guy! End of story!”

“Alright. Whatever you say, sweetheart,” Patrick replied in a mumble as his daughter stormed up the stairs.

 

\--

 

There was a small part of Rob that almost despised the fact that he’d regained his memories of Penny. It just added an extra layer of difficulty in his life - to know that the girl he’d spent years with was with someone else (his  _ enemy _ , no less) and had likely forgotten about him like everyone else. Even worse was the fact that if he hadn’t managed to figure it out himself, he would’ve likely never recognized her.

She’d been shelled last time he saw her. Now, she was...well,  _ beautiful _ , in his opinion. She’d been pretty before, yes, but now? God. It made him feel insecure to just look at her.

They’d  _ both _ changed in the time they were apart, but while Penny was glowing and looking greater than ever, Rob was broken, disfigured - ... _ ugly _ . Nothing like her.

It was what made him avoid approaching her in the first place. It was what made him decide against even  _ trying _ to jog her memory. She didn’t deserve someone like him. She didn’t deserve some deformed, bitter villain - and she  _ definitely _ didn’t deserve a boring and bland  _ nobody _ .

As much as he hated the boy and hated to admit it even more so...she deserved Gumball. He made her happy. Something that Rob would likely fail to do at this point in time.

 

\--

Technically, the first date that Penny, Gumball  _ and _ Rob had as romantic partners had been at the mall. Penny had been a little nervous about the relationship but her boyfriends had made sure to help ease her. They hadn’t done anything other than wander around the mall a few times, but one thing was for sure - neither Rob nor Gumball had let go of either of Penny’s hands the whole time. They wouldn’t even let her cover her face when she felt herself blushing. By the end of it, she certainly felt more confident.

 

\--

 

“Do you  _ mind _ if I ask what the heck you were doing at Penny’s window?” Rob had asked, after him and the cat had brushed themselves off and quickly left before Patrick spotted them.

“Uh, that depends - can I ask why the heck you were in her house?” Gumball retorted, folding his arms and raising a brow.

“She  _ asked _ for me to be there.”

“Really?” he sounded doubtful.

“Yes. She had a nightmare or something, so she called me up and naturally, I went over.”

“Wow, what a great boyfriend.”

The cyclops, uncertain if the boy was being genuine or teasing, merely stammered for a moment before scoffing. “Can you just  _ tell _ me why you were at her  _ window? _ I mean, it’s not like Patrick doesn’t know about you, couldn’t you have gone through the front door-”

“-Oh, I was going to, but I saw Penny’s window was open so I thought I’d tell her.”

“...Again, you couldn’t have just gone to the front door, ask to be invited in,  _ then _ tell her that?”

“Eh. Too much effort.”

Rob ran a hand down his face.

 

\--

 

“You should really go back to school, Rob,” Penny said, frowning a bit.

“Why?” he asked flatly, eye half-lidded and brow raised. “It’s not like I’m going to learn anything useful there.”

“Uh, correction; if you learn chemistry, you can make things like smoke-bombs. And if that’s not useful to you, then I don’t know what is.”

“...Are you really trying to convince me to go back to school by saying I could make  _ smoke-bombs? _ ”

“Well, if you’re supposed to be a villain, then it would be relevant to your interests, right?”

“...God, I love you,” he said, cracking a smile.

 

\--

 

“I’m sorry, what was your name again?” Mr. Small asked, attempting to prop his feet up onto his desk.

Rob, who was unsure if he was being serious or not, simply went, “Uh…”

A few moments later, Mr. Small leaned too far back in his chair and proceeded to let out a screech as he fell backwards onto the ground.

 

\--

 

“ _ Nnno _ offense, dude, but how can you stand listening to her?” Gumball asked the cyclops.

“Stand listening to who?”

“To Molly.”

“What’s wrong with Molly?”

“Nothing! Nothing. Just, you know, don’t you think she’s a  _ littllle _ …?”

“...A little...?”

“You know…” Rob raised a brow and shook his head, indicating he had no idea where the boy was going with this. “...Boring?”

“What? No. Of course not - why would I?”

“I don’t know, probably for the same reason why most people do?”

Rob frowned. “Hey, man, that’s just your guys’ opinion. I think she’s actually interesting to listen to.”

“...Seriously?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why you sound so surprised.”

“I dunno, you’re just - you know,  _ cool _ \- and don’t seem like the kind of guy that’d find stories about everyday tasks that interesting.”

“As flattering as that is, I think you’re forgetting that  _ I _ used to be boring.”

Gumball opened his mouth to speak, before taking a moment to think it over and shrugging. “Eh, fair point.”

 

\--

 

“-That was  _ completely _ unnecessary!” Rob yelled.

“I dunno, man, it seemed like a necessity to me,” Gumball replied with a shrug and a barely suppressed smile.

“It wasn’t! You were being ridiculous!”

“Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing to me if you had a chance.”

“I wouldn’t have! Not like that!”

By now, Gumball was beginning to crack up, which only increased Rob’s anger of the situation. Penny simply stared at them both, before turning and beginning to walk away.

“Penny-” the cat said between laughs, “Penny, where are you going-”

“I don’t know you guys,” she replied flatly, making Gumball burst into another fit of laughter and Rob give a loud groan of frustration.

 

\--

One of the stranger side-effects from his time in The Void was the fact that almost all of the required bare essentials of  _ living _ were completely removed from Rob. His need to sleep, drink, eat - it’d all sort of...vanished. He had noticed the sleep factor a long time ago, back when he was still in that dreaded place and he’d found himself sleeping less and less until he didn’t sleep at all. However, the eating part he hadn’t known until he’d one day realized he’d forgotten to eat for over a week. It certainly made living on the streets a lot easier for him, though - certainly allowed him to save up on whatever change he could somehow scrounge up.

 

Another thing that was both a pain and a source of intrigue was the static that took up a good chunk of his body. He’d always found that it was much more sensitive, despite the fact that it almost constantly felt numb any other time. He didn’t trust many people to make physical contact with those parts - save for Penny and, surprisingly, Gumball - considering they were rather easy to actually cause unintentional pain to. He recalled one time someone accidentally shoved past him and his arm felt like it’d had a dozen needles jabbed into it for a good 15 minutes. It was pretty weird.

 

\--

To explain Rob’s allowing Gumball to get anywhere  _ near _ his static bits; for as long as Rob could remember, Gumball “Bull in a China shop” Watterson had always been gentle and seemingly careful. He’d noticed it the first time Gumball had hugged him (well, hugged his legs anyway), and had been curious of it ever since. The cat had always been a more touchy-feely sort of guy, and always put his paw on people’s shoulders or arms or the like - and he treated Rob no differently, yet he’d somehow never accidentally hurt him.

“Hey, Gumball?” the cyclops finally decided to ask.

“Yeah, Rob?”

“How’re you, like...so gentle, exactly?”

“...Uhhh, what do you mean?”

“Well, you always, like - touch my arms and stuff and it never hurts or anything, so how do you do it?”

“Eh, probably because of these.” Gumball then proceeded to show him the paw pads on his hands.

“...Holy shit,” the boy said quietly.

 

\--

 

“You know, I just wanna say - we all look lovely tonight,” Gumball said while the three were out at dinner, elbow leaned against the table and a smug expression on his features.

The fairy and cyclops blinked at the cat’s wording. “...Uhh, Gumball…?” Penny said

“Yes?”

“...You do realize if you’d have said ‘you two look lovely tonight,’ we would’ve said ‘thanks, you too,’ right?”

Gumball stared for a long moment before slumping and quietly murmuring, “I couldn’t take that chance.”

“...God, I feel that,” Rob muttered right before sipping from his glass of water.

 

\--

 

“...You know,” Rob said while lounging on the couch, “I think  _ real _ self-control is when you wait for the movie starts to eat your popcorn.”

Mr. Small paused in what he was doing, then looked up at Rob and squinting. “Why would the movie eat my popcorn?”

Rob stared at him for a long moment, and Mr. Small stared back - until his confused expression cleared up.

“Wait, nevermind, I get what you’re trying to say.”

“...Oh my  _ god _ , Steve.”


	19. "Only Us"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing huge. Just a short, happy little chapter.

“Thank you for letting us come over, Mrs. Fitzgerald!” Gumball said cheerfully, both arms full with blankets and pillows.

“Yeah- thanks, Miss,” Rob said as well, a backpack slung over his shoulder and a warm smile on his face.

The peanut laughed gently. “You’re quite welcome, you two. If you need anything at all, then just let me know.” With that, she closed the door to the back porch.

Penny suddenly appeared from behind a large, set-up tent. “There you guys are!”

“Hey, Penny!” the cat said, waving.

“Whoa,” Rob murmured, looking at the tent, “We’re sleeping in that?”

“We sure are!” The girl took his backpack from him, placing a gentle peck on his cheek, then did the same with Gumball. “I’ll throw these things in the tent for now.” As she went and did that, she asked over her shoulder, “You ever star-gazed before, Robby?”

“Uh- Kinda. From a bedroom window.”

“Well then, you’re in for a big surprise. ‘Cause it’s a  _ lot _ better when you’re actually doing it outside.”

“Are we making s’mores, too?” Gumball asked.

“You sure bet we are,” she replied, smiling brightly.

 

The three sat around the fire pit, exchanged stories, ate s’mores and observed the night sky above them. They eventually found themselves dragging out their blankets and lying down on them in the grass side-by-side, their eyes fixed on the stars.

“...You’re right,” Rob admitted, turning his head to look at the fairy. “This is a lot better.”

“Told ya’ so.”

The cyclops let out a content sigh, looking back at the sky. “...You know, it’s crazy,” he said, gaining the other two’s attention, “How much has changed.” He glanced at Gumball. “How much  _ we’ve _ changed.” He glanced at Penny.

“I hear that, dude,” the other boy said. “Met one new person; gained a nemesis  _ and _ a boyfriend.”

Rob gave a light laugh. “Yeah, exactly.” Pause. “...But you know what? Even though so much has happened over nearly 2 years, I don’t think I’d really change a thing. Not if it meant I couldn’t be where I’m at right now.”

“I’ll second that,” Penny said gently, taking his hand into her own. Gumball mimicked her action, taking the cyclops’ opposite hand into his with a smile.

“...I love you guys.” Rob’s tone was soft. “I really do.”

“...We love you too, Rob,” Penny spoke.

“Yeah, we-”  _ Yawn. _ “-Love you too, man,” Gumball said, though his yawn earned a few small giggles from the other two.

The girl sat up. “Guess we should start setting up out blankets and stuff in the tent.”

“Yeah,” Rob agreed, “That sounds like a good idea.”

 

Some short time later, they found themselves lying down in the tent. After the ‘goodnights’ and the small kisses that came with them, Penny and Gumball snuggled up to Rob, and closed their eyes. The cyclops gave one last smile before closing his own eye. The three then fell fast asleep.

 

_ -FIN- _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (& yes, the chapter title is very much a dear evan hansen reference lmao)
> 
> anywho, this chapter concludes "Sometimes Things Happen"!! thank you all so much for taking the time to read it, leave kudos, comments- it all means a lot to me!! i had a ton of fun working on it. i actually very rarely see bigger projects like this through to the end, so i'm very proud of myself for making it this far!!
> 
> thank you all again for everything!
> 
> -kira


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